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Publyhir\g CoTi\pat\y 







the library of 

CONbRESS, 

Two Copies Received 


OCT 2 1903 


Copyu*nt tntry 


(PcU' .a, >^o3 

CLASS XXc. No 

<D tjsqs' 

copy a. 


Copyright, 1903 
by 

THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING CO. 


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MADE BY 

THE WERNER COMPANY 

AKRON, OHIO 


T> ED I C A TION 


my young friends , the 
hoys and girls whose 
bright eyes and loved faces 
were the direct inspiration 
of these tales, this hook is 
lovingly dedicated. 




The Other Tales 


The Disappearance of Prince Yulyth. 
Lady Lee. 

The Little Man with the Sharp Spear. 
The King of The Golden Woods. 
The Gold Button. 

The Place Where Man Lives. 

The Giant's Pillow. 

The Magic Swing. 

The Gift of The Kind Heart. 

Old Man Whitelocks. 

The Wonderful Doll. 

The Mayor of Johnny town. 



HE AUTHOR wishes to ac- 
knowledge the courtesy 
of the publishers of the 
New York Herald , St. 
Nicholas, The Ladies' 
World, The American 
Boy, and of the various 
other periodicals in which 
the tales included in this 
book were first published, 
in granting him permis- 
sion to reprint them in 
book form. 


Dear Children 


When I was a young boy I told stories to my 
little playmates, who would sit and listen as long 
as fancy cared to keep weaving the shuttle of her 
imaginings; and now that I am a man grown I 
still delight to gather my young friends around 
me, throw loose the reins of fancy, and journey 
with them through the marvelous regions of 
fairyland or the wonderlands of reality; and that 
is how nearly all the stories in this book origi- 
nated. They were first told to a little group of 
young friends, and then written out before the 
spell of their telling had left me. 

So you see, dear children, I really owe you 
these tales; and, therefore, I have gathered them 
together, and placed them in this little book for 
you to read, hoping that they will interest and 
please you as much as they seemed to interest 
and please the little girls and boys to whom they 
were first told. 


EVERETT McNEIL. 




CHAPTER I 

The Chamber of the Genii and What Befell 
King Ireil Therein 


HNG OSYRUS was a great monarch, and more, he was a mighty 
magician; and yet more than these two, he was a good man. 
King Osyrus had two sons, Prince Ireil and Prince Oswald. 
Prince Ireil was a noble youth, and, like his father, he was good and 
wise; but Prince Oswald had all and more than all of his father’s 
talents without his virtues. He soon came to hate his brother, 


IX 


Dickon ‘Bend=the='BoW 


because he had been bom first and would one day be King. This 
hatred grew as he became older and saw how great a power and glory 
would be his were it not for his brother, and dark thoughts crept into 
his soul, and he began to plan wickedly for the overthrow of Prince 
Ireil, and how to wrest the kingdom from him. To further these evil 
designs, he sought by much study and the practice of charms and 
weird enchantments to come into possession of powers more than 
mortal. 

Now, within the King’s palace there was one room into which the 
King’s sons had been forbidden to enter or even to look. The King 
suffered no one to go with him into this chamber, so that not one, save 
the King himself, knew what was within, nor why its secret was so 
zealously guarded. 

At last King Osyrus fell sick, and, knowing that his hour had 
come, he summoned his two sons to his bedside. 

Prince Ireil came quickly and fell on his knees, weeping, by the 
side of the couch. Then the dying King placed upon his head the 
royal crown, and into his keeping he gave the keys to the royal palace, 
to the royal treasure-vaults and to all the royal buildings, and even 
the key to the secret chamber he gave into his care, with the com- 
mand that he never part with it for an instant, nor suffer any one to 
enter into the chamber with him, nor himself to go therein, until the 
twelfth hour of the twelfth day of the twelfth month from the hour 


Dickon Dend=the= l Boii) 


of his death, had passed. When this time came he must take the key 
and enter the chamber alone. 

This Prince Ireil promised faithfully to do. 

Prince Oswald obeyed the summons, rejoicing secretly, for he 
loved not the old King his father, and had long wished him dead, so 
that he might wrest the crown from his brother ; but when he entered 
the room where lay the King, he simulated great sorrow and mourned 
noisily. He knelt by the King’s side and the King blessed him and 
gave him much treasure, and bade him be a faithful brother and a 
loyal subject, when Prince Ireil should become king. 

These duties accomplished, the good old King laid himself back 
on his bed and died in peace, and Prince Ireil became King Ireil, and 
Princess Hilwildi, his wife, was Queen Hilwildi. 

King Ireil mourned grievously the death of his father, for he had 
loved him dearly; but in the heart of Prince Oswald there was no 
mourning, only hatred and envy of his brother, King Ireil. 

At length the twelfth hour of the twelfth day of the twelfth month 
from the hour of the death of the good King came, and King Ireil 
took the golden key from the golden chain around his neck, and made 
ready to enter the secret chamber. The hour was midnight, and all 
in the great palace was still, save the heavy tramp, tramp of the 
King’s guard, as he strode up and down the long hall which led to the 
King’s private apartments. The King wrapped his purple cloak 


XI 



around him and passed through this hall, 
bidding the guard, who was a giant and 
of great strength, to follow; and thence 
through long halls and up winding stairs 
he went until he stood before the locked 
door of the secret chamber. Not a 
human being had King or guard seen as 
they passed through the halls and up the 
stairs, and yet a shadowy form had glided 
silently behind them. 

The King bade the guard to stand 
without and keep watch so that none 
might enter; then he turned the key 
and passed within. The door opened 
into a small vestibule, and between the 
vestibule and the chamber hung a heavy 
black curtain. Upon the folds of this 
curtain the King read, emblazoned in 
letters of gold, these words : 


Let not ambition master thee, 
But be ambition’s master; 
Thus will power thy servant be, 
And not thy soul’s disaster. 


XII 


Dickon ‘Bend=the=‘B oW 


King Ireil let these words sink deep into his heart, and then, 
pushing the curtain aside, stood within the room. Before him was a 
throne of black marble, and in the lap of the throne lay a great black 
battle-axe, and before the throne knelt five hideous black men, girded 
about the loins with tiger skins and armed with clubs. To the right 
of the King stood another throne which was of blue marble, and in its 
lap lay a great sword and before it with bowed heads sat five armed 
blue knights upon five strong horses. To the left was yet another 
throne and it was of red marble, and in its lap lay a great red shield 
and before it knelt five armed red knights. 

King Ireil paused and wondered much how these men and horses 
came there and why they bowed before the thrones, and whether they 
were living beings — for men and horses were as motionless as carven 
statues. At last he saw hanging above the black throne a scroll, 
written over with words ; and he stepped to the throne to read what 
might be thereon. So intent did he become in the reading that he 
heard not the light step behind him, nor saw the tall form glide 
swiftly across the room and the strong arm seize the great axe from 
the lap of the black throne and whirl it aloft. Down came the 
axe, and the head of King Ireil leaped from off his shoulders and 
rolled on the floor. 

“How weak a blow to fell so great a king!” said Prince Oswald, 
laughing scornfully. “Now will I solve the mighty secrets of this 


XIII 


Dickon Bend=the=BoW 



chamber, and learn wherefore these armed men and horses are here,” 
and Prince Oswald bent forward to read what was written on the 
scroll hanging above the black throne. 

Now, the five black men who knelt before 
the black throne were five powerful genii, serv- 
ants of the great black battle-axe, and the serv- 
ants of him who whirled the axe thrice around 
his head ; and the five blue knights who sat on 
the five strong horses before the blue throne 
were five other genii, servants of the sword and 
the servants of him who drew its blue blade 
from its scabbard; and the five red knights 
who knelt before the red throne were also five 
genii, servants of the red shield and the 
servants of him who held the red shield aloft. 

All this Prince Oswald read written on the 
scroll. Then he looked down on the dead 
King, his brother, and smiled. “Thy crown 
to wear, thy wife to wed, thy kingdom to rule, 
and these three weapons of magic might thou 
gavest to me, my brother , in exchange for 
but one blow, bravely and stoutly struck. 



Vickon ‘Bend=the=‘Boto 


For thy generosity I thank thee. Thou shalt have a grand funeral.” 
and again he smiled wickedly. 

“Now will I test the magic might of these weapons, ” and he whirled 
the black axe three times around his head. 

Instantly the five black genii sprang to their feet and bowed 
before him. “Master, what wilt thou that we shall do? We are thy 
servants, the servants of him who whirls the black axe. Command. 
We shall obey, ” said the five black genii. 

“Go thou into the hall and, unseen, smear the axe and sprinkle 
the clothes of the King’s guard with blood, so that it will appear that 
it was he who struck off the King’s head. Then make thy selves 
invisible to all mortal eyes and follow me,” commanded Prince 
Oswald. 

And the five black genii did as they were bidden. 

Prince Oswald strode to the blue throne and drew the blue blade 
of the great sword from its scabbard. 

Immediately the five blue knights and the five strong horses 
thrilled with life. “Master, what wilt thou that we shall do? We 
are thy servants, the servants of him who draws the blue sword from 
its scabbard. Command. We shall obey, ’ ’ said the five blue knights. 

“Make thyselves invisible to all mortal eyes and follow me,” 
commanded Prince Oswald. 

And the five blue knights did as they were bidden. 


Dickon Dend=the=DoW 


Now, Prince Oswald came to the red throne and lifted the red 
shield above his head. 

At once the five red knights sprang to their feet and bowed before 
him. “Master, what wilt thou that we shall do? We are thy 
servants, the servants of him who holds aloft the red shield. 
Command. We shall obey, ’ ’ said the five red knights. 

“Make thyselves and myself invisible to all mortal eyes and follow 
me,” commanded Prince Oswald. 

And the five red knights did as they were bidden. 

Then Prince Oswald, bearing the black axe and the blue sword 
and the red shield, and followed by the genii, passed, unseen, from 
out that chamber of death and forth from the king’s palace. 

Now, when it was discovered that King Ireil lay murdered in the 
secret chamber and that the great axe and clothing of the king’s 
guard were bloody, all men believed that it was his hand which had 
struck the King. This they believed the more readily because the 
blow was a mighty one, and the king’s guard was a giant and of great 
strength. Accordingly the guard, notwithstanding his protests that 
he knew nothing as to how the King met his death nor how the blood 
came on his axe or person, was thrown into prison to await torture 
But when the day appointed for the torture came and the governor 
of the prison went to his cell the man had vanished. 


XVI 


CHAPTER II 


How Queen Hilwildi Was Placed In The Crystal Coffin 


rDRINCE OSWALD rent his clothes and tore his hair when 
* messengers brought to him the news of the murder of his 
brother, King Ireil. Indeed, so well did he simulate great 
grief, that all men said of him, “How dearly he loved his brother.” 
For twelve months he outwardly mourned for the dead; then he put 
off his mourning and began to pay court to Queen Hilwildi, for he 
was not yet King and could not be, according to the laws of' that 
country, until he had wed the wife of the dead King or the Queen had 
died. 

Queen Hilwildi scorned his suit. Still he persisted. From the 
hidden depths of the earth he bade his genii bring jewels more 
beautiful and costly than the eyes of man had ever looked on before. 
These he offered to her. She threw them from her with bitter words 
of scorn. He fell on his knees and began to tell of the greatness of his 
love. She spumed him with her foot and bade him begone from her 
presence, for she saw her husband’s blood on his hands. 


XVII 


Dickon ‘Bend=the=‘BoZO 


Then Prince Oswald grew wrathful. His face darkened with hate, 
and, springing to his feet, he cried: “Thou hast spurned me, like 
a cur, with thy foot, and like a whipped dog thou shalt yet cringe 
before my might ! Aye, I will tame thy proud spirit, Queen though 
thou art!” And he whirled his great battle-axe thrice around his 
head. 

At once the five black genii stood before him. 

“Transport this woman and me to my subterranean palace, and 
do it so that no mortal eyes can see whither we go,” commanded 
Prince Oswald. 

Instantly Queen Hilwildi and Prince Oswald were lifted up and 
borne away with the speed of thought ; and when they were put down 
they found themselves standing in the great circular court of a 
beautiful palace built of polished white marble. 

“Now, proud Queen, thou art at my mercy,” said Prince Oswald. 
“Promise to wed me this day, or with my own hand will I slay thee 
and thy daughter, whom I have commanded to be brought hither 
As he spoke the black genii again appeared and placed the Queen’s 
beautiful little girl by her side. 

Queen Hilwildi lifted the sweet maid up in her arms and fear- 
lessly faced Prince Oswald. “Thou canst not slay me, nor canst thou 
harm my daughter,” she said boldly. “Our lives are protected by a 


XVIII 


Dickon Bend-the=BoW 


spell, over which thy dark soul canst have no power. I will not wed 
thee, and I defy thee and thy black demons and all of thy dark 
powers,” and she clasped the child close to her bosom and stood 
unflinchingly before Prince Oswald. 

Prince Oswald laughed scornfully, and, lifting his battle-axe 
aloft, strode to within striking distance of Queen Hilwildi. ‘‘Down 
on thy knees, haughty woman, down quickly and beg of me the life 
of thyself and child, or I drive the sharp blade of this black axe 
through thy skull and the skull of thy babe, ’ ’ he said. 

“Strike, thou murderer, strike, if thou darest, a defenceless 
mother and child,” answered Queen Hilwildi, as her fair cheek paled 
and her blue eyes sought the sweet face of the child on her bosom. 

“Die then!” cried Prince Oswald, and, gripping the axe with both 
hands, he aimed a terrible blow at the mother and babe. Down came 
the axe; but light as a feather it touched the forehead of Queen 
Hilwildi, and the two arms of Prince Oswald fell to his side, weak as 
the arms of an infant, while the great axe dropped to the floor. 

Prince Oswald’s dark face grew white. He had felt the might of 
the charm which protected the lives of the Queen and her child. He 
took two quick steps backward, and then drew the blue blade from 
its scabbard. Instantly the five blue knights, sitting on their five 
strong horses, were before him. “Master, what wilt thou that we 
shall do ? We are thy servants, the servants of him who draws the 


XIX 



blue blade from its scabbard. Com- 
mand; we shall obey,” said the five 
blue knights. 

“Slay this woman and child,” com- 
manded Prince Oswald, pointing with 
trembling finger to Queen Hilwildi and 
her daughter. 

The knights sat still and bowed 
their heads low before Prince Oswald. 
“Master, a power greater than ours 
protects this woman and child. We 
cannot slay them; yet hadst thou 
Morpheus’ bow and magic tipped 
arrow, then thou couldst drive the life 
out of her bosom for ten years. But at 
the end of that time, for the wrong 
thus done, thou must stand ready to 
meet any champion who shall appear 
in her behalf. Victory will break the charm, and then thou canst slay 
the woman; but, if thou art defeated, then forever will she be freed 
from thy power and thyself forever ruined, ” said the five blue knights. 
“Go bring me the bow T and arrow,” commanded Prince Oswald. 
The blue knights vanished ; and once more Prince Oswald and 
Queen Hilwildi and her daughter were alone in the room. 


XX 



Queen Hilwildi bent her head and pressed 
warm kisses on the sweet face of the child in her 
arms. ‘ ‘My heart is breaking, for I must part with 
thee, my dear one,” she whispered softly. “Take 
thou this token ; it is a fairy gift and hath mysteri- 
ous powers. It will guard thee from Prince 
Oswald and when the hour of my greatest peril 
comes, then will it tell thee how to bring succor to 
thy mother,” and she placed in the little maid’s 
hand a pierced heart done in gold with blood 
drops of ruby. “Now, thou dear one, give thy 
mother a last love kiss, for the moment of our part- 
ing is at hand.” 

Even as she spoke the five blue knights re-' 
appeared and placed in the hands of Prince Oswald 
a gold tipped bow and a single red pointed arrow. ' 

Prince Oswald seized the bow and quickly 
fitted the arrow to the string. So great was his 
wrath that he paused not, but the bended bow 
twanged and the swift arrow leaped from the hissing string. 

Deep in the left bosom of Queen Hilwildi the shaft buried itself, 
and she fell and lay white and still like one dead on the hard marble 
of the floor, yet she was not dead and no blood flowed from the 
wound made by the arrow. 


XXI 


Dickon Bend=the=BoW 


Prince Oswald now lifted the red shield high above his head, and 
instantly the five red knights stood before him. 

“Go, thou, and make a coffin out of the purest crystal, and place 
within Queen Hilwildi and seal her therein with a ten year seal,” 
commanded Prince Oswald. 

And the five red knights did as they were bidden. 

Then Prince Oswald summoned ten beautiful maidens and gave 
them charge over the coffin and over the little girl, Queen Hil- 
wildi ’s daughter, who had stood watching these strange doings with 
great round blue eyes full of woe and wonder and with little hands 
clasping tight to her bosom the gift of her mother. 

The ten beautiful maidens bore the crystal coffin and the little 
girl forth from the room, and Prince Oswald stood alone. 

His wicked heart swelled with pride. At last he had triumphed, 
and Queen Hilwildi was at his mercy. She was helpless, and could 
not procure a champion to do battle in her behalf. Or if, perchance, 
one should come, what would be his might against the demon might 
of the genii? His eyes gleamed wickedly, and he held his tall form 
proudly erect as, thus thinking, he walked from the room. 

Now the black axe, the blue sword, and the red shield were 
weapons of great heft; and Prince Oswald soon wearied of always 
bearing them with him. At last he summoned all the genii before him 
and commanded them to be ready at all times to serve him, and bade 


XXII 




Dickon ‘Bend=the=*BoW 

them build a throne of gold in the Great Court of Light, and in the 
back of the throne to make a secret chamber, which would open only 
at the thrust of a thumb pressed on a certain spot. 

All this the genii did. 

Then Prince Oswald concealed the black axe, the blue sword, and 
the red shield within this secret chamber. This he did without fear, 
for he did not deem it possible for human being to overcome the 
many difficulties with which he had beset the way to his subterranean 
palace. 




THE GIANT KNELT AND PLACED HIS HAND ON THE HEART. 


CHAPTER III 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow Obeys the Sign of the 
Pierced Heart 

O N the day that Queen Hilwildi disappeared from the royal 
palace a giant huntsman came to dwell in a rude hut built 
near the edge of a large forest. To all who asked his name he 
answered, “Dickon,” and soon he became known far and wide by the 
name of Dickon Bend-the-Bow. He was so called because no arm 
but his own had the strength to bend the great bow which he carried, 
nor the skill to send the sharp arrow home as true to its mark, whether 
that might be the heart of the bounding stag or the feathered breast 
of the wild goose in full flight. A great, rough, shaggy-bearded man 
was Dickon Bend-the-Bow, with a voice as harsh as the growl of a 
bear and with the strength of ten men in the brawn of his huge frame. 

Swiftly the ten years slipped into the past, while the beautiful 
Queen lay, like the dead, in the crystal coffin, and the little maid, her 
daughter, grew with each year yet more wise and lovely, and the 
giant huntsman hunted in the great woods. 


XXV 


Dickon ‘Bend=the=‘BoW 


One morning, when the end of the tenth year had come, as Dickon 
Bend-the-Bow sat on the large flat rock which formed the door-stone 
to his lonely hut, he heard a light step coming down the house path, 
and, glancing quickly up, saw, to his great astonishment, a young 
maiden hastening toward him. 

Now Dickon Bend-the-Bow was such a huge, shaggy-haired, 
rough-looking monster, and had such a deep, gruff voice that most 
children fled at the sight of his giant form or the sound of his terrible 
voice. But this little maid marched right boldly up to the door-stone 
whereon he sat, and, with never a look of fear in her bright blue eyes, 
said: “Dickon Bend-the-Bow, I have come for thee. Make thyself 
ready to do my bidding. By this token I command thy services,” 
and she held forth in the palm of her extended hand a pierced heart 
done in gold with blood drops of ruby. 

At the words of the girl Dickon Bend-the-Bow frowned darkly, 
and bent his fierce eyes angrily on the maid. But at sight of the 
pierced heart of gold the look of anger fled, and, falling on one knee, 
he bowed his head even until his great beard swept the ground. 

“Command of me what thou wilt, sweet maid; I am thy servant, 
the servant of her who holds the pierced heart,” he said. Then he 
arose and waited with head bowed humbly. 

The maiden raised a white hand, and tossing back her hair from 
before her eyes, so that their bright blue shone full and unflinchingly 


XXVI 


Dickon "Bend-the^ oW 


up into the rugged face of the huntsman, said: “I am Fon- 
hilda, the daughter of the Lady of the Pierced Heart. I came hither 
at her bidding, for the hour of her greatest need is at hand. Oh, thou 
wilt not fail us, wilt thou, good Dickon Bend-the-Bow ? Think on 
my mother, thy mistress, the great woe and pain of her life, her present 
awful peril, and be bold and strong to deliver her. Thou wilt come 
to her rescue, wilt thou not, good Dickon Bend-the-Bow?” On the 
long lashes tears trembled, and the white hands were clasped implor- 
ingly. 

“Aye, aye; what man can do, even to the death, that do I gladly 
to serve the Lady of the Pierced Heart,” the sturdy huntsman 
answered. 

“Thou most swear it, even on bended knees and with hand on the 
pierced heart, thou must swear thy troth and constancy,” and again 
she held forth the heart of gold on the palm of her extended hand. 
“Down on thy knees, good Dickon Bend-the-Bow, and lay thy great 
right hand on this heart. ’Tis my mother’s command. ’ ’ 

The giant knelt and placed his hand on the heart. Fonhilda then 
bade him say these words after her: “With hand on heart I swear 
to serve with mind and skill and might, even to the death, the Lady 
of the Pierced Heart and Fonhilda, her daughter. Her will I follow 
and her commands obey, while the warm blood flows and the quick 
brain thinks.” 


XXVII 


Dickon Bend=the='BoW 


Slowly Dickon Bend-the-Bow repeated this oath, while his 
startled eyes stared at the hand which lay trembling above the 
heart of gold. Beneath he felt the heart grow warm and throb. 

“Bravo! Good Dickon Bend-the-Bow!’’ cried the maid. “Thou 
hast sworn true fealty. This I know, for the pierced heart grew 
warm and, throbbing with thy love, told how thou art ready to serve 
me and mine, even with thy heart’s blood. Now, good Dickon 
Bend-the-Bow, lift the great flat stone whereon thou wert seated 
when first I came to thee.” 

The giant bent his back and, grasping the stone underneath one 
side, he heaved with might and main. The great stone groaned and, 
slowly starting from its deep bed, arose, until by a mighty effort the 
giant threw it over backward. At the bottom of the depression thus 
brought to view gleamed the polished surface of a square block of 
white marble. From an opening near the center of this block ran 
the links of a great iron chain. 

“Now, good Dickon Bend-the-Bow,” Fonhilda said, pointing to 
the block, “seize the chain and pull with all thy might, and pause not 
until the bucket of gold leaps into thy hands. This bucket hangs 
with its mouth downward, and no man knows the size of its opening 
nor how fast the precious fluid flows from it.' But this I know, if it 
be empty when it comes to thy hand, thou must die; for it is a 
charmed well, and he who would draw from it and fails to bring to the 


XXVIII 


Dickon Dend‘the="B oW 


surface enough water to moisten his lips, must perish. Now, good 
Dickon Bend-the-Bow, thou knowest the great need of haste, so put 
forth all thy strength. ” 

Without making reply Dickon Bend-the-Bow shook his great 
shaggy head, threw the short cloak of bear skin from off his massive 
shoulders, tightened the broad belt around his waist and, bending 
forward, grasped the iron chain. He pulled until cords and sinews 
stood out like knotted whipcords on his great arms and neck. Then 
the chain gave way and he began to draw it slowly through the 
marble opening. 

At first it came tardily and with great difficulty, but soon the 
pulling became easier and Dickon Bend-the-Bow, putting forth all 
his strength and quickness, made the links smoke with the heat of 
their rapid passage. 

The chain seemed endless. Minute after minute went by until an 
hour had passed, and still link followed link in rapid succession. 

The tremendous strain was beginning to tell even on the iron 
frame of the huntsman. His breath came in quick, labored gasps; 
the marble block was wet, as from a shower of rain, with the falling 
sweat drops. His great limbs trembled, and the blood rushing to his 
head blinde.d him. 

Still link rattled merrily after link. 

The iron wore through the tough skin of his hands. Every grasp 


XXIX 


left its mark of red on the links. 
The piled up chain by his side 
reached to the height of his 
shoulder. His huge body began 
to sway back and forth and his 
trembling knees to bend. 

Fonhilda stood by the side of 
the marble block. Her face was 
as white as the stone. She was 
watching a race with death. 
She saw that the strength of 
the giant was fast failing. She 
noticed his flushed face, his 
labored breathing, his trembling 
limbs and bloodshot eyes. 
She saw his huge shoulders begin to sway, his knees to sink as though 
he was about to fall, and, with a quick crv of agony, she sank on 
her knees and lifted her hands beseechingly. 

‘‘Good Dickon Bend-the-Bow!” she exclaimed, “thou must not 
fail! Think of what depends on thee! The life of the Lady of the 
Pierced Heart and thine own existence hang at the end of the chain ! 
Look once again on the heart, the symbol of thy lady’s wronged and 
suffering life, and make one last mighty effort!’’ and she extended 
her hands, with the golden heart within them, imploringly toward him. 



! Dickon ‘Bend=the=‘Boto 


Dickon Bend-the-Bow turned his eyes for a moment on the heart. 
He saw that it was again throbbing as with life and that the red 
drops were falling. The sight sent the strength back into his ex- 
hausted limbs. He thought of the fate of his lady should he fail, cf 
his own death, and at the thought the sparks flew from the marble 
opening as though the chain had set fire to the stone with the heat 
of its swift passage. 

Suddenly the top of the block flew apart with a loud noise and the 
bucket of gold leaped through the opening. A small stream of an 
amber colored fluid was slowly trickling from its mouth. With a 
shout of joy Fonhilda sprang forward and set the bucket upright. 
She then quickly unclasped from a gold chain around her neck a 
silver flask and filled it with the precious fluid. The flask was not 
large, but when it was filled the bucket was empty. 

The chain and the golden bucket now fell back of themselves into 
the well and the top of the marble block came together again, so that 
the square block of marble, with the great chain protruding from the 
opening near the center, looked just as it had when first the flat stone 
had been lifted. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow lay like the dead where he had fallen the 
instant his hand touched the bucket. Fonhilda placed the flask to 
his mouth and moistened his lips with the amber water. At once his 
strength came back and all his weariness fled, and he stood up, feeling 


XXXI 


! Dickon ‘Bend=the=BoW 

like one who had just arisen from a refreshing sleep. She rubbed 
a few drops of the magical fluid over his bruised and bleeding hands. 
The worn flesh and skin came in anew and the hands were made whole. 
She then fastened the precious flask to the gold chain around her neck. 

“Now, good Dickon Bend-the-Bow, place the great flat stone back 
over the well,” she commanded. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow did as bidden. 

Again Fonhilda commanded, “Get thy great bow and all thy 
longest and sharpest arrows and follow me.” 

Straightway Dickon Bend-the-Bow entered the hut, lifted the 
great bow from off its deer-hom hooks, slung a quiver well filled with 
arrows of great length over his shoulders, tightened the belt about his 
waist, and signified to the girl that he was ready. 


xxxn 


CHAPTER IV 


The Hall of the Black Giant 


r ONHILDA led the way into the great woods. 

Presently they came to a deep, rocky ravine. At the end 
of this ravine was the dark mouth of a great cave. Fonhilda, 
reaching up, clasped one of Dickon Bend-the-Bow’s great rough 
hands in hers and entered with him into this cavern. Not more 
than one hundred yards from the entrance a huge gate of solid brass 
barred their further passage. High above their heads swung a lamp, 
and by its light the } 7 read engraved on the gate these words : 


Grim monsters wait behind the gate ; 

Be warned, O mortal bold! 

The golden key hangs high o’er thee ; 
Beware! Thy hand withhold! 


“Canst thou read me this little riddle, my sweet maid?” Dickon 
Bend-the-Bow asked, as he slowly conned these lines over. ‘‘Per- 
chance it points out the way to unlock this great gate of brass, but by 


XXXIII 



my beard I cannot make out of 
it foot nor head.” 

“That I can,” replied Fon- 
hilda. ‘‘Turn thine eyes up- 
ward, for full a hundred feet 
above thy head swings the gold- 
en key. Thou must take thy 
great bow and with thy sharp arrow sever the narrow ribbon which 
holds the key to the roof. ” 

‘‘Aye, aye,” Dickon Bend-the-Bow answered. Then he drew a 
sharp-pointed arrow from its quiver, fitted it to the stout string of his 
great bow, and drawing the arrow to its head shot upward. 

Before the twang of the bowstring had ceased to sound the great 
key of gold fell at their feet. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow placed the key in the lock, and turning 
it around pressed with his shoulders against the mass of brass. 
Slowly the great gate swung open and showed a flight of white marble 
steps leading downward. 

Down these stairs the two went softly, not knowing what danger 
awaited them. 

At the bottom they found themselves in a long, narrow hall. 
From the high vault of the rocky roof swung three lamps of gold; 
and the first lamp shone white, the second red, and the third blue. 
Above the white light perched a white eagle, sitting with his back 



XXXIV 


: Dickon 'Bend=the='Boto 

toward them and holding in his beak a key of gold. Above the red 
light sat an enormous red owl with his back toward them and grasp- 
ing in his right claw two great fierce-looking eyes. Above the blue 
light hung a monstrous bat with his back 
toward them and holding between his white 
teeth two huge black ears. At the far end of the 
hall before a massive door of bronze, stood a 
black giant at least twice as large as Dickon 
Bend-the-Bow himself. From the shoulders 
of the black giant fell the skin of a lion, and his 
loins were girded around with the stripes of the 
Bengal tiger. On his right shoulder rested an 
enormous club filled with sharp-pointed spikes. He stood facing the 
great door, so that his broad back was toward Dickon Bend- the - Bow 
and Fonhilda. 

Now, the golden key which the white eagle held in his beak was 
the key to the door of bronze, and the great fierce eyes which the 
red owl grasped in his right claw were the eyes of the giant, and the 
huge black ears which the monstrous bat held between his white 
teeth were the ears of the giant. Nor could the door be opened with- 
out the key, nor the giant passed if he got back his eyes and ears 
again unless he was first slain. And had he his eyes and ears with 
which to see and to hear no mortal had the power to withstand the 
blows of his great club. 



XXXV 


Dickon Bend=the='Botv 


Fonhilda bade Dickon Bend-the-Bow to fit an arrow to his bow- 
string and to keep his eyes fixed on the white eagle. Then they 
walked softly down the long hall. When directly under the white 
light, with the white eagle holding in its beak the golden key perched 
above, a deep, harsh voice, seemingly from under their very feet, 
cried: 

“Awake! Awake! O eagle white! 

To the black guardian of the door 
The key, the key, bear with swift flight ; 

For stinging death creeps o’er the floor. ’’ 

At the sound of the voice the white eagle, with a shrill scream, 
spread his great wings and darted swiftly from his perch toward the 
black giant. 

‘ ‘ Shoot ! Shoot ! And shoot quickly ! ’ ’ shouted Fonhilda . 

“Aye, aye,” answered Dickon Bend-the-Bow, and his bowstring 
twanged. 

Swiftly flew the great bird, but swifter sped the sharp arrow and, 
piercing through the white breast, brought him to the floor. Fonhilda 
sprang to the dead bird’s side and wrested the key from out its beak. 

Then on, down the long hall, the two went softly. 

When they came under the red light, where sat the red owl grasp- 
ing the fierce eyes, again the harsh deep voice cried, louder than 
before : 


XXXVI 



“Away! Away! Thou traitor red. 

A foeman’s steps sound on the floor; 

The eyes, the eyes must aid the head 

To shield and guard the brazen door.” 

At the words the red owl uttered a hoarse hoot and flew swiftly 
toward the black giant. 

“Shoot! Shoot! Shoot speedily!” shouted Fonhilda. “For 
once the eyes within the head, the black giant will be the death of 
both of us.” 

“Aye, aye, ” Dickon Bend-the-Bow made reply, as the quick arrow 
leaped from the humming string. 

True to its aim sped the shaft and the great owl fell to the floor. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow seized the two fierce-looking eyes and put 
them into his great pocket. 

Again on, down the long hall, the two walked. 


XXXVII 



Dickon ‘Bend=the= 4 Boto 


When they came under the blue light, with the monstrous bat 
holding in his white teeth the two black ears hanging above it, the 
harsh deep voice roared wrathfully : 

‘ ‘ Begone ! Begone ! Thou monstrous thing ! 

Canst thou not see the foe at hand ? 

His ears, his ears, to the giant bring, 

Or how can he that foe withstand ? ” 

At the sound of the voice the bat flapped his great black wings 
and sped straight for the giant. 

“Shoot! Shoot! Shoot quickly!” exclaimed Fonhilda. 

“Aye, aye,” Dickon Bend-the-Bow muttered in his great beard, 
and the swift arrow hissed as it slipped through the air. The aim was 
true ; but the bat wheeled artfully to one side, and the arrow passed 
him by harmlessly. 

Before Dickon Bend-the-Bow could fit another arrow to the string 
the bat had reached the black giant, and the ears were safe on his 
head. With a roar of rage the giant faced about, his empty eye 
sockets blinking fiercely and, whirling his great club around his head 
until it whistled shrilly, rushed down the long hall toward them, the 
bat circling and chattering angrily above his head. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow drew his longest arrow to its head and 
sought to pierce the broad breast of the giant, but the shaft fell 
splintered to the floor. The giant was invulnerable. The sharpest 


XXXVIII 


Dickon ‘Bend=the=Boto 


steel driven by the strongest arm was powerless to harm him. 

“Down! Down flat on the floor, and quick, good Dickon Bend- 
the-Bow,” whispered Fonhilda. “If we lie close to the wall and 
still, perchance in his rage he will pass us by. It is our only hope. 
Thou canst not fight the black giant. ’’ 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow needed no second bidding. Close to the 
wall the two stretched themselves, not daring to breathe, lest the 
keen ears of the black giant should hear them. 

On came the monster, whirling his club and calling angrily for his 
eyes ; on he came, and in his rage rushed like a whirlwind by them. 

“Up, Dickon Bend-the-Bow, and for life speed to the great bronze 
door,” whispered Fonhilda. “If we be not on the other side of it 
before the giant returns, in his wrath will he slay us. ” 

“Aye, aye,” the huntsman replied; and bounding to his feet he 
caught Fonhilda up in his arms and ran for the door. 

The black giant heard them, faced about, and roaring with 
madness rushed after the two. Now they can hear his hoarse 
breathings and the shrill whirr of his great club. He is almost 
upon them ; but they are at the door and the key is in the lock. With 
a quick turn and a strong shove, Dickon Bend-the-Bow pushed the 
door open and sprang through the doorway. He was not a moment 
too soon; for, as the door swung shut and the massive bolts and 
bars shot into place, down upon it, with the sound of thunder, 
crashed the great club of the black giant. 



CHAPTER V 

The Old Woman With The Black Cat 

jEE^ONHILDA and Dickon Bend-the-Bow now found themselves 
standing on the pebbly shore of a lake with waters clear as 
the purest crystal. In the center of this lake stood a beautiful 
verdure covered island, and from the center of the island arose the 
stately towers and lofty domes of a snow-white marble palace, and 
from the center of the marble palace sprang upward a dome more 
lofty by far than the others, and crowned with a blaze of light. 

“My mother lies in yon beautiful palace,” Fonhilda said softly; 
“my mother with the golden hair, the lovelit eyes, the gentle hand 
and voice, ever loving and lovable. My mother, oh, my own dear, 
wronged mother lies suffering in yon fair marble pile!” and the soft 
blue eyes looked wistfully over the lake and rested longingly on the 
marble glory. 

Near the spot where Fonhilda and Dickon Bend-the-Bow stood 
was a light silver canoe, tied with a silken rope to a silver stake driven 


XLI 


Dickon ‘Bend=the='Boti ; 


into the pebbly shore. Presently Fonhilda stepped into this boat 
and bade the huntsman row her to the island. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow grasped the oars, and in a short time the 
two had reached their destination. 

From the place where they landed marble stairs led up to a 
strong gate in the wall which surrounded the palace. Before the 
gate sat an old woman, knitting, and in her lap lay a great black cat. 
Every few minutes the old woman would lay down her knitting, and, 
tenderly stroking the glossy back of the cat with her thin white 
hands, pour into its ears the fondest words of endearment. 

Now this strong gate was fast locked by magic, and would open 
only to the right word rightly spoken. The old woman alone knew 
this word, and she had been forbidden to utter it save only at the 
command of her master. Once she had dared to disobey him, and in 
his wrath at her disobedience he had struck her only son on the fore- 
head with the palm of his extended hand, and doomed him to walk 
on four feet and to feed on rats and mice until the one for whom the 
gate was opened was safe back within the palace again. And from 
that moment the son had been a black cat. 

When Fonhilda and Dickon Bend-the-Bow reached the top of the 
flight of marble stairs, the old woman lifted her head and looked out 
keenly at them from her sunken eyes. “Whither goest thou, sweet 
maid?” she inquired sharply. “And wherefore has that rough giant 
come hither?” 


XLII 


“I seek my mother, and this strong 
man is my protector,” replied Fon- 
hilda. Then, going near to the old 
woman, she looked up into her face and 
asked sadly, “Alas, is it possible that 
my old nurse’s eyes have grown dim 
with age, or is it because her heart is 
cold that she no longer recognizes her 
Fonhilda?” 

The old woman dropped her knit- 
ting and started to her feet so quickly 
that the cat was tumbled unceremoni- 
ously out of her lap. 

“Bless my heart! If it isn’t my 
little lady come back again,” she 
exclaimed, seizing Fonhilda ’s hand and 
pressing her lips to it again and again 
rapturously. 

‘'Good nurse,” Fonhilda said, gently 
withdrawing her hand, “we go within 
to my mother. Canst thou not speak 
the magic word once again for her 
sake and for my sake ? We bring rescue 
to the Lady of the Pierced Heart. ” 



XLIII 


Dickon Bend=the=‘BoW 


“Alackaday! I dare not,” replied the old woman, sadly shaking 
her white head. “When thou wentest from this unholy place, Fon- 
hilda, for love of thee I spake the forbidden word ; and behold my 
punishment!” and she pointed to the black cat. 

The cat approached Fonhilda and rubbed himself caressingly 
against her. 

“See!” exclaimed Fonhilda, “thy noble son bears me no ill will! 
And hark, good nurse, dost thou not remember the words of the 
curse, ‘until the one for whom the gate was opened was safe back into 
the palace again’? I, who brought this curse on you, will remove it. 
I will again enter the palace. Speak but the word and thy son shall 
be himself again, my mother saved, and thyself and boy rescued from 
the cruel thraldom of the accursed lord of this unholy place. ’ ’ 

“Bless my heart!” cried the old woman joyfully. “He did 
speak those blessed words! Come what will, for thy sake and my 
sake and thy sweet mother’s sake, the gate shall open. It would 
make my old heart young to look on my handsome boy again. ’ ’ 

The old woman hobbled quickly to the gate followed by the 
black cat and, putting her mouth up close to a small ear of gold 
fastened in the side of the gate, whispered the magic word. 

Noiselessly the ponderous mass of metal swung open. Fonhilda 
and Dickon Bend-the-Bow stepped quickly within; and noiselessly 
the gate swung shut. 


XLIV 


CHAPTER VI 
In The Great Court Of Light 

B EFORE them in all its majesty and beauty rose the snow-white 
palace of marble with its great fire -crowned dome glowing 
like a sun high above their heads. The spacious grounds 
around the palace were as beautiful as a poet’s dream. Gleaming 
fountains, radiant flowers, winding rivulets, shady groves, and singing 
birds enamored the eyes and ravished the ears at every turn. 

For a moment Fonhilda and Dickon Bend-the-Bow paused to 
look upon this wondrous scene; then they walked swiftly to the 
grand marble stairway which led to the great arched doorway of the 
palace. Up fifty beautifully engraved steps of white polished marble 
they climbed, and paused before the great door of beaten gold. 
Fonhilda put forth her hand and gently pushed the door open, and 
the two passed unchallenged into a lofty hall. 

So far their eyes had looked on neither man nor woman nor child 
since they parted with the old woman at the gate; but now, in the 
far end of the hall, a great door swung open and a tall, majestic-look- 


XLV 


Dickon < Bend=the= t BoW 


ing man clothed in purple robes and with long hair and beard falling 
down his back and over his breast, crossed the hall with stately tread 
and passed through a great door on the opposite side. Close behind 
him came five hideous black men girded around the loins with 
tiger skins, the right hand of each supporting on the shoulder a 
huge club studded with sharp spikes and the left holding aloft a 
burning torch. Behind these black men marched, with clank of 
steel, five tall knights clothed in red armor with visors down and 
with drawn swords in their mailed hands and battle-axes by their 
sides. After the five tall men rode five stately knights mounted on 
strong steeds, and arrayed in complete suits of blue mail and armed 
with swords and battle - axes and long lances. Last came ten 
beautiful maidens dressed in white and walking two and two. 
Between them they bore a coffin made of the purest of crystal 
and twined around with flowers and with wreaths of white roses and 
lilies on its top. 

Without a sound, save the clanking of steel and the sharp click of 
horses’ hoofs on the marble floor, this strange procession passed 
before Fonhilda and Dickon Bend-the-Bow; and, without the glance 
of an eye in their direction, vanished through the great door, which 
swung silently shut behind them. 

“My mother ! O my mother ! May heaven shield thee from 
the power of that wicked man!” softly murmured Fonhilda, while 


XL VI 


Dickon Dend-the^oto 


the tears came into her gentle blue eyes. “And may Heaven help 
thee and me, good Dickon Bend-the-Bow, for the hour of our greatest 
peril is even now at hand! Yonder passed Prince Oswald, the false 
brother of the dead king, my mother’s most bitter enemy, and the 
worker of all this woe. The five black men, the five red knights, and 
the five blue knights who followed after him were his body-guard. 
For him will they fight, even to the death. In the crystal coffin 
borne by the ten beautiful maidens lay my mother. They go to the 
Great Court of Light beneath the fire-crowned dome ; and thither we 
must hasten, for there shall it be determined whether wrong shall 
longer triumph over right and evil longer hold good in bondage. 
Come, good Dickon Bend-the-Bow, let us make haste, for it is needful 
that we be first in the Court of Light, ” and, reaching up and clasping 
his hand, she ran swiftly down the long hall. 

Presently the maid stopped and knocked thrice with her small 
fist on the hard marble of the wall. At the third knock a narrow 
door slid noiselessly open and, when both had passed through, as 
noiselessly closed behind them. They now stood in a darkness so 
dense that they could not see the white of each other’s face. 

Fonhilda bade Dickon Bend-the-Bow to seize hold of her long 
hair and to follow close behind ; for the way was not wide enough for 
the two to go abreast and there were branch passages where he might 
go astray. 


XLVH 


Dickon Bend=the=‘BoW 



Thus through the darkness the two hastened. 

At length Fonhilda stopped and again knocked thrice on the. 
wall, and again at the third knock a narrow door slid open, and they 
stepped forth into the Great Court of Light. 

High above their heads rose the lofty fire- 
crowned dome and streaming down from its 
apex like a silvery mist, fell the wondrous 
light which illumed the place. The room was 
large, circular in form, and devoid of furnishings, 
save that a little to the right of where Fonhilda 
and Dickon Bend-the-Bow stood was a raised 
marble platform covered by a carpet interwoven 
with threads of gold and silver and surmounted 
by a throne of pure gold lined with the 
softest of purple velvets. Before this 
throne stood two stools of burnished 
silver. The chamber was empty of all 
life except for the maid and huntsman. 

Fonhilda stepped to the throne and 
pressed with her thumb on a certain 
spot in its back. At the touch a door 
flew open and a great sword, a mighty 
battle-axe, and a strong shield fell at 
her feet. Then the door closed sharply. 


Dickon ‘Bend=the=*BoW 


“Now, good Dickon Bend-the-Bow,” the maid said, “lay down 
thy bow and quiver of arrows, and arm thyself with the weapons 
which lie at my feet. They are mighty weapons and mightily must 
thou wield them if thou wouldst go from this place a living man; 
for thou must fight not only against the human might of skilled 
warriors but also against the black magic of him whose powerful 
arm holds my mother captive.” 

“Aye, aye,” Dickon Bend-the-Bow answered, as he laid down his 
bow and arrows and girded on the great sword and battle-axe and 
hung on his left arm the strong shield. 

“Art thou of good heart for the combat?” Fonhilda inquired, 
when he had thus armed himself. 

“Aye, aye,” and he smiled grimly. “Let come what will, be they 
men or demons, I will fight while arm can lift a weapon. ” 

“Bravo!” Fonhilda said softly. “Thy courage hath already 
half won the battle. But think not, brave heart, that the mighty 
powers of the unseen fight only on the side of evil. For thee have 
they been invoked. No weapon can pierce thy shield, and no armor 
can resist the bite of the sharp teeth of thy sword and battle-axe.” 
Then, unclasping the silver flask from the gold chain around her 
neck and holding it up for him to take, she continued: “Aye, and 
more; drink but three swallows of the magical waters from this 
flask and thy strength will be trebled and thrice as great as now will 
be the s kill and quickness of thy limbs and body.” 


XLIX 


Dickon Bend=the= i Bo to 


Dickon Bend-the-Bow took the flask and drank as he was bidden ; 
and trebled was his strength and thrice as great became the skill and 
quickness of his limbs and body. 

Now on their ears fell the distant clank of steel and the sharp 
clicks of horses’ hoofs striking the hard marble of the floor. Prince 
Oswald and his followers were drawing near to the Great Court of 
Light. 

At the sound Fonhilda stepped to the wall, where was the secret 
door whence they had entered, and again opening it bade Dickon 
Bend-the-Bow to pass within and there to await her summons. 
This done, the door closed, and she was alone in the Great Court of 
Light. 

On the floor lay the bow and quiver of arrows which Dickon 
Bend-the-Bow had cast down. These Fonhilda picked up, and, 
flinging the quiver over her frail shoulders and grasping the bow in 
her small hands, stood up erect, and thus standing with a look of 
stem defiance in her sweet blue eyes, awaited the coming of Prince 
Oswald. 


CHAPTER VII 


The Battle With The Genii 


k\T EARER and louder came the clank of steel and the sharp clicks 
[ of hoofs; and then at the far end of the court a great door 
.swung open and in strode Prince Oswald, and close behind came 
all his strange following. Straight to the throne went the Prince and 
set himself down in its purple lap. The five black men arrayed 
themselves on his right, the five red knights on his left, the five blue 
knights drew up their horses at the foot of the throne, and the ten 
beautiful maidens gently sat the crystal coffin down on the two silver 
stools before the throne. 

For the space of a hundred heart-beats all were silent and motion- 
less. Then Prince Oswald stood up and with his haughty eyes 
searched the room. He started at the sight of Fonhilda, and a 
frown darkened his cruel face and a fierce light came into his eyes; 
but when he saw that the little maid was quite alone, a smile moved 
his bearded lips. 

The hour of his triumph had come! Like the shell of an egg in a 
strong man’s hand would be the weak blue -eyed girl in the grasp of 
his mighty power! Thus he thought. 


Dickon , Bend=the= , BoW 


“Give ear ! Give ear ! ’ ’ and loud his strong voice rang out through 
the Great Court of Light. “Hath the Lady of the Pierced Heart a 
champion to do battle in her behalf? If so, let him stand forth, for 
the day and the hour is even now at hand which shall determine for- 
ever whether she or I shall rule.” 

Three times he uttered this summons, and at the third call 
Fonhilda lifted her golden head and, looking him straight in the eyes, 
made answer : “Prince Oswald, for my dear mother’s sake and to 
defeat thy wickedness a champion stands ready to do battle with thee 
and thine and into thy face he flings hatred and defiance!” 

“Ho, daughter of an accursed mother!” wrathfully replied the 
Prince, turning to Fonhilda. “Darest thou still defy me? Wouldst 
thou, a weak blue - eyed babe, measure thy weakness against my 
strength ? Look into yon coffin and behold what thy folly will bring 
thee to!” and he pointed with one white hand toward the crystal 
coffin. 

Fonhilda looked and saw, through the clear crystal, lying straight 
and still like one dead a beautiful woman. A look of pain was on her 
sweet face, and one hand grasped the shaft of an arrow whose cruel 
point was buried deep in her left bosom. Still she lay, without the 
power to move an eyelid, and yet she lived, and thus had lived for 
ten years. 

Fonhilda looked on her mother, lying thus incased in crystal. 



FONH1LDA LIFTED HER GOLDEN HEAD AND LOOKED HIM STRAIGHT IN THE EYES 


Dickon 'Bend=the= BoW 


and her heart melted into tears. “My mother! O my mother!” 
she sobbed. “Would that I — ” 

“Hush thy whimperings, maid,” sternly interrupted Prince 
Oswald. “This is not the time for tears but for blows. Let thy 
champion stand forth if, perchance, thou hast any.” 

The little maid threw back her head angrily and answered: 
“Prince, my champion stands ready to answer scorn with yet greater 
scorn, and hard blows with yet harder blows. No weak blue-eyed 
babe will ye find him, but one to whom thou and thy men of might 
will be but as playthings. Prince Oswald, tremble ! for the hour of 
thy downfall hath come. ’ ’ 

As she spoke she approached the wall and knocked thrice. The 
door slid open and Dickon Bend-the-Bow strode forth, the great 
sword and battle-axe clanking at his side and the strong shield on his 
left arm. Straight to the throne he went and, gripping Prince 
Oswald by his long beard and thus holding him, for his heart had 
been made wrathful by the scornful words he had overheard, 
shouted : “Aye, aye, thou villain! thou boaster of thy might to 
weak maids! Callest thou that the grip of a blue-eyed babe?” and 
he shook him until the white teeth of Prince Oswald rattled each 
against the other like castanets. 

Prince Oswald’s face shone white through his beard, and his 
right hand sought fiercely the jeweled hilt of his sword, and he took 


LIV 


Dickon ‘Bend‘the='BoW 

a couple of quick steps toward Dickon Bend-the-Bow. Then he 
stopped. “Ha! I was about to chastise thy bold effrontery with 
my own hand,” he said, drawing his tall form up haughtily, “but I 
forgot that thou art my Lady of the Pierced Heart’s chosen champion, 
and as such should be received with such courtesy as is befitting thy 
gentle birth and lofty station. Thy pardon, Sir Knight of the Shaggy 
Head. I mistook thee for a base bom country churl,” and his keen 
eyes rested mockingly on the huge frame of the roughly dressed 
huntsman. “But think not that the kindly courtesy of thy gentle 
greeting shall go unrequited. By my beard, for every hair offended 
by thy rude touch thou shalt die a death of agony! Ho, there, my 
blacks ! Down with thy torches and up with thy clubs ! ’ ’ 

Instantly the five torches carried by the five black men rattled on 
the floor, and the five great clubs swung high above their heads, and 
the five pairs of hideous eyes fixed their gaze on Prince Oswald. 

Prince Oswald now again turned to Dickon Bend-the-Bow and, 
making a mock of courtesy, said: “Noble Knight of the Shaggy 
Head, thou puller of beards, for the comfort of thy brave heart, know 
that these be not mortal men with whom thou art about to fight, but 
genii, against whom for human might to contend, it were folly equal 
to seeking to pluck the moon down by her two horns. Such be these 
five black men, such the five red knights and the five blue knights. 






To them thy sword and axe and shield will be but as three feathers 
and thy axe blows and thy sharp sword thrusts but as flakes of snow 
driven by a faint wind. Ha! Prince Oswald knoweth well how to 
keep his grip on whatsoever his hand claspeth; and no milk-faced 
maid nor red-haired giant can wrest what he holdeth from him!” and 
he laughed scornfully. “Art ready, Sir Knight of the Shaggy Head?” 

“Aye, aye,” answered Dickon Bend-the-Bow, “I am ready, and 
my sword and axe are athirst and my blood grows cold with waiting. 
Let thy black demons come forth.” Thus boldly spake Dickon 
Bend-the-Bow; but his heart was heavy, for what was his might 
against the demon might of those who were to oppose him ? 

Prince Oswald turned to the black men, who stood with great 
clubs uplifted, and commanded: “Go, crack me the skull of yon 
huge clown.” 

As one man the blacks whirled about and, contorting their 
hideous faces into horrible grimaces and howling like hungry wolves, 
leaped toward Dickon Bend-the-Bow. 


LVI 





Fonhilda fell on her knees and covered her white face with 
her trembling hands. She knew that Dickon Bend-the-Bow 
could not withstand these demon men. Not until the present 
moment did she dream that Prince Oswald had the power to 
summon such beings to his assistance. Alas ! it was agony to 
think that after all their efforts they could not rescue her 
mother, and that they themselves would soon be at the mercy of cruel 
Prince Oswald. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow braced himself for the struggle, and 
whirling his great battle-axe around his head until it seemed a circle 
of steel, awaited the coming of the leaping men. 

On they came, in great 
long jumps, until the space 
of but one leap separated 
them from Dickon 
Bend-the-Bow 
and his whirling 
axe. Then , their 
wild eyes caught 
the gleam of the 
axe and the butts 
of the five great 
clubs fell to the 


! Dickon ‘Bend=the=‘BoW 


floor and the five black men sank on their knees before Dickon Bend- 
the-Bow. “Master, what wilt thou that we shall do? We are thy 
servants, the servants of him who whirls the black axe. Command, 
we shall obey, ” said the five black genii, and they stood up with heads 
bowed humbly before Dickon Bend-the-Bow. 

Now, for the first time, Dickon Bend-the-Bow saw that the keen 
blade of the whirling axe was black; and, wondering greatly, he 
lowered the axe and stood staring from it to the black faces of the 
demon men. 

But Fonhilda sprang quickly to his side and cried out joyfully: 
“ Tis the axe, good Dickon Bend-the-Bow! ’Tis the blessed axe! 
These black genii are the servants of him who whirls the black axe and 
will not harm thee, but whatsoever thou biddest, that will they do.” 

“Aye, aye,” Dickon Bend-the-Bow answered, recovering some- 
what from his amazement, “ ’tis a marvel that I will test right 
speedily.” Then, lifting his axe and pointing with it at Prince 
Oswald, he commanded: “Go thou and pluck me each a hair out of 
the long beard of yon villain. ” 

Like one being the five black genii sprang toward Prince Oswald 
and before he could lift a hand to defeat their object, each had plucked 
a hair from his beard and, leaping back, had laid it at the feet of the 
huntsman. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow placed a foot on the five long hairs, 


LVIII 


Dickon Bend=the=‘BolL) 


and, looking into the face of Prince Oswald, said: “Aye, aye, turn 
pale and wrinkle thy white brow, thou boaster — thou proud one! 
Like these five hairs crushed beneath my heel, thou shalt soon be. ” 

A great fear had crept into the heart of Prince Oswald when he 
saw that Dickon Bend-the-Bow possessed the black axe, and he had 
shot a keen glance toward the back of the throne and had taken a 
quick step in its direction, but before he could lay hand on the throne’s 
back the black genii were upon him and each had plucked a hair 
from his beard. Then rage drove wisdom out of his head. For a 
moment he stood speechless, choking with wrath and shaking his fist 
at the huntsman. But at the boastful words of Dickon Bend-the- 
Bow his rage found tongue and he shouted : ‘ 1 Ho, there ! red knights ! 

Out with thy swords! Ho, there! blue knights! Down with thy 
lances! Charge! charge ye all! and hew me yon huge churl to 
pieces!’’ 

Then the five red knights drew forth their swords and the five 
blue knights leveled their lances and all charged straight at the 
huntsman. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow bade the five black genii to meet the onset 
of the five red knights and himself prepared to do battle with the 
five blue knights. 

The five black genii, howling like great hungry wolves and 
whirling their mighty clubs around their heads, met, midway, the 


LIX 


Dickon ‘Bend=the=BoW 


red knights. Then crashed the great clubs against helmets and 
breastplates and flashed the keen swords; but it was genii against 
genii and neither could gain any advantage over the other. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow swung aloft the axe, as down upon him 
thundered the blue knights. True to their aim the points of the 
five lances struck the center of his shield, and, driven by the demon 
might of men and horses, hurled him full ten paces through mid-air, 
and when he struck the floor he rolled over and over and the black 
axe fell from his hand. 

At the overthrow of Dickon Bend-the-Bow, Prince Oswald 
laughed, and the look of fear left his face. When he saw the black 
axe flung from the huntsman’s hand and slide over the smooth 
marble of the floor in his direction he sprang to seize it with a shout 
of triumph, his eyes gleaming wickedly. 

Fonhilda also saw the axe slip from the grip of Dickon Bend-the- 
Bow as he went rolling over the floor, and she saw Prince Oswald 
spring after it. Swift as a fawn she leaped to its rescue, and even as 
the hand of Prince Oswald was about to close round the handle she 
grasped it, and, darting back out of reach of the angry blow he aimed 
at her, swung the axe with both arms around her head and shouted : 
“To the rescue, to the rescue, men of the axe!” 

At the instant the cry of Fonhilda reached the ears of the five 
black genii they whirled about and, regardless of their antagonists, 



Dickon , Bend=the= 4 B oto 



came swiftly to her aid. Prince Oswald saw them coming and in 
great terror leaped back to the golden throne and there stood trem- 
bling and cursing. 

When the points of the five lances struck Dickon Bend-the-Bow’s 
shield and hurled him through the air he felt that the breath of life 
had been knocked out of him, but by the time he stopped rolling 
he had got his breath back again and sprang to his feet in a great 
rage, for never before had he been given so hard a tumble. 

The blue knights dug their spurs deep into the sides of their 
chargers and again, with lances leveled, bore down upon him, while 
the five red knights, freed from the clubs of the black genii, leaped 
to their aid. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow drew his sword and awaited 
their coming, determined if possible to shun the shock 
of the lances by swerving to one side. 

Suddenly, just as the points of the five lances 
turned to meet his swerving shield, the five 
blue knights drew rein so violently that their 
horses were forced back on their haunches. 

‘‘Master, what wilt thou that we shall do? We 
are thy servants, the servants of him who 
wields the blue sword. Command, we shall 
obey,” and they bowed their heads and lowered 
their lances. 



Dickon Bend=the= BoW 


Dickon Bend-the-Bow glanced quickly at the naked blade of the 
sword and saw that its color was blue. But now the five red knights 
were at him, their keen swords humming hungrily around their heads, 
and if he would live he must fight. He threw up his red shield to 
ward off their swift blows and swung aloft his blue sword; but before 
a sword blow could be struck, down on their knees sank the five red 
knights. “Master, what wilt thou that we shall do? We are thy 
servants, the servants of him who holds ajoft the red shield. Com- 
mand! and we shall obey!” and they arose and bowed their heads 
before Dickon Bend-the-Bow. 


IXII 


CHAPTER VIII 
At the Mercy of the Queen 

ICKON BEND-THp'-BOW stood mute with astonishment, 
UJ gazing from red knights to blue knights, and from blue sword 
to red shield, not yet fully understanding what the strange 
ending to the battle portended. 

But Fonhilda, with a glad light shining in her blue eyes and her 
sweet face all aflush with joy, shouted: “Victory! Victory! Now 
is the power of Prince Oswald broken forever!” and running swiftly 
to Dickor ^^nd- the- Bow she handed him the black axe, and turning 
sped strain „ to the crystal coffin, her white arms outstretched 
longingly, her whole face aglow with love, and calling softly as she 
ran: “Mother! dear mother! I come! I come!” 

At the cry of the maid, with a noise like a sharp clap of thunder, 
the crystal coffin burst in two, the top half falling to the floor, and in 
the bottom half, still supported by the silver stools, lay, white and 
still like one just dead, the beautiful Lady of the Pierced Heart. 


LXIII 


Dickon ‘Bend=the=*Boh) 


Fonhilda threw her arms around the cold form and pressed warm 
kisses on the white lips. At once, at the touch of those sweet lips, the 
sleeping soul awoke and the Lady of the Pierced Heart sat up. 
With the quick hands of love Fonhilda drew forth the sharp arrow 
from the pierced bosom and poured on the wound the magical water 
still left in the silver flask fastened to the gold chain around her neck, 
and immediately the deep wound was healed and the spell of Prince 
Oswald was broken. 

When Dickon Bend-the-Bow saw that Prince Oswald was power- 
less and at his mercy, he strode to the throne and, whirling his black 
axe aloft, stood ready to cleave his head from his shoulders. “Prince 
Oswald, ” he said, “I am he whom thy black art doomed to the torture 
for a crime committed by thine own arm. I was King Ireil’s guard, 
and, by my beard, right here and now will I be King Ireil’s avenger, 
and with one blow of this black axe forever put an end to thy wicked- 
ness, ’ ’ and the great axe would have fallen on the white neck had not 
Dickon Bend-the-Bow at this moment felt a light touch on his arm, 
and turning saw Queen Hilwildi standing by his side. 

The poised axe was instantly lowered, and down on his knees 
before the Queen fell the huntsman and bowed his head until his 
great beard swept her feet. 

“Good Dickon Bend-the-Bow,” said Queen Hilwildi, “it is not 
meet that thou shouldst kneel before me.,, who owe life, and all that 



Dickon ‘Bend=the=‘Boti) 


makes life dear to thee. Arise,” and she graciously extended her 
hand to him. 

Dickon Bend-the-Bow pressed a kiss on the Queen’s hand and 
arose and stood humbly before her. 

“Spare the life of this miserable man, good Dickon Bend-the-Bow, ” 
she continued. “Great wrong hath he done to thee and to me and to 
mine, but spare him his life. His crimes have brought on his head 
their own bitter punishment. Henceforth he shall be, like a worth- 
less cur, driven by hunger from house to house, abused and despised 
by all. He who had so much and yet guiltily sought for more, shall 
have nothing. Alas, that so wise a man should have lived so fool- 
ishly!” Then turning to Prince Oswald, who still sat trembling and 
mumbling in the purple lap of his golden throne, she commanded: 
“Go! for prince thou art no longer. Never more shall roof -tree 
shelter thee, nor willing hand feed thee, nor welcoming smile of 
woman, man, or child greet thee. Go!” and she pointed sternly 
toward the great door of the Court of Light. 

Without a word Prince Oswald staggered to his feet, and, with 
head bowed and feeble steps tottered across the floor. As he went, 



Dickon Dend=the=‘Boty 


his ornaments of gold and silver and precious jewels and his purple 
robe fell off him, and when he passed from the room he was clothed in 
rags and dirt. 

At the moment the door of the Court of Light swung shut behind 
Prince Oswald, the blaze in the lofty fire-crowned dome went out and 
the mighty towers and the stately walls of the palace swayed and 
rocked and fell with the crash of thunder. There was the sound of 
the rush and roar of a mighty flood of water, and then, clear and 
sweet through the silence that followed, came the notes of a nightin- 
gale, and Queen Hilwildi, Princess Fonhilda, Dickon Bend-the-Bow, 
and the kind old nurse, who sat before the gate, and her son, now 
restored to his natural form, found themselves standing in a great 
forest, with the bright stars of early morning twinkling above their 
heads. 

The cave with its great gate of brass ; the vaulted hall wherein 
swung the three lamps of gold; the huge black giant who stood on 
guard before the bronze door; the verdure covered island; the 
beautiful palace of snow-white polished marble with its marvelous 
fire-crowned dome — all were the work of enchantment, and all had 
vanished at the downfall of their master, Prince Oswald. 

At dawn Queen Hilwildi and those who were with her came to the 
great city wherein was the king’s palace, and Queen Hilwildi sat on 
the throne and ruled over the people once more. 


LXVI 


Dickon Bend=the=Bo\ti 


On the first day of the fourth month from the day of her happy 
return Queen Hilwildi wedded Dickon Bend-the-Bow, and he became 
King. 

On the day of his marriage Dickon Bend-the-Bow restored the 
black axe, the blue sword, and the red shield each to its throne in the 
secret chamber, were they remain, for aught I know, to this very day, 
for Dickon Bend-the-Bow had learned well the meaning of the verses 
emblazoned on the heavy folds of the black curtain : 

Let not ambition master thee, 

But be ambition’s master; 

Thus will power thy servant be, 

And not thy soul’s disaster. 



















































































Dis- 

app e f*rance 

Prince 
Yulyth 



<R£) 


7 HE golden rays of the morning sun 
gleamed on the golden dome of the 
king’s palace and flashed through 
the rich lattice work of the queen’s win- 
dow. Then said Queen Yuloiza, smil- 
ing sweetly: “The natal day of Prince 
Yulyth, my son, dawns gloriously. I 
go to bear to him greetings and to give 
to him this gift of my love,” and the 
queen lifted and threw over one arm 
a magnificent cradle-robe, embroidered 
all over with threads of gold and silver 
and set with precious jewels. “Do 
not follow me,” said the queen to her 


LXIX 


The Disappearance of Prince Y ulyth 

maids-in-waiting, “for I would be alone with the prince, my son,” 
and she walked forth from her chambers through the marble hall to 
the royal nursery, where lay Prince Yulyth asleep in his cradle, 
watched over by his faithful old nurse. 

Queen Yuloiza bade the nurse go to the far end of the room, then 
she bent and softly kissed the red lips and warm cheeks of the sleeping 
boy and smoothed out the beauteous robe over the quiet limbs. 
“His bright eyes will see the gleam of its jewels when he awakes,” 
she said, “and his little fingers will seek to catch its golden birds and 
butterflies and to pluck its jeweled flowers,” and she took the child’s 
dainty hand in hers and began softly to caress it. “How small, 
how very small this tiny fist is,” she thought. “I wonder if I could 
not slip my thumb-ring over it. ” And not thinking of what she did, 
she drew the broad ring of quaintly twisted gold from off her thumb 
and attempted to slip it over the little hand. To the queen’s aston- 
ishment the ring glided over the baby fingers without difficulty and 
encircled the tiny wrist like a bracelet. The queen laughed. “I 
must tell the king of this,” she said; and then, all forgetful of the 
magic power of the wonderful ring, she began carelessly to turn it 
from right to left, playing with the dainty fingers and wondering at 
their smallness as she turned. 

At the third turn of the ring the baby vanished. 

Queen Yuloiza sprang to her feet white and trembling and 
stared into the cradle. The little hollow in the silken pillow made 


LXX 


The Disappearance of Prince Yulyth 


by the prince’s head, she saw; but her beautiful boy, Prince Yulyth, 
she saw not. He had disappeared with the most startling suddenness 
and completeness. For a full minute the queen stood staring at the 
vacant spot where her baby had been ; then, womanlike, she screamed 
and fell fainting to the floor. 

The old nurse ran in a terrible fright to the queen’s assistance. 
The moment she saw that the baby had vanished she began to scream 
with all the strength of her old lungs and to wring her hands and to 
call upon heaven and earth to witness that she knew naught of what 
had become of the heir to the king’s throne, who had been so suddenly 
whisked out of sight. 

The doors of the nursery flew open and frightened men and maid- 
servants and courtiers and knights rushed in. 

“The king’s son! The king’s son! He has gone! Vanished like 
the blown-out flame of a candle!” yelled the old nurse, pointing to 
the cradle. “And the queen lies dead on the floor! Alackaday, 
alackaday, if I hang for it, I know' not how all this strange thing came 
about!” and she fell on her knees, moaning and wringing her hands. 

Then some went to the help of the queen, and others began a wild 
search around the room for the missing prince, and still others rushed 
hither and yon, like the shuttle of a loom gone mad, throwing all into 
confusion. 

Presently the queen opened her eyes and arose to her feet. 
“The king; go bring the king instantly,” she commanded; “and clear 


LXXI 



the room of this mad rabble. I 
would be alone with the old nurse 
when the king, my husband, comes. ” 

The queen stood silent by the 
side of the cradle, with the old nurse 
still wringing her hands and moaning 
kneeling at her feet, when the king 
opened the door and entered. 

“My king! my husband! our son, 
the prince, has disappeared! Even 
as I stood caressing his pretty little 
hand he vanished. Oh, find my 
baby, our son!” and the grief- 
stricken mother, all forgetful of her 
queenly dignity, threw herself weep- 
ing into the arms of the king. 

The king’s face grew white. He 
loved the queen, his wife ; but more 
he loved his baby boy, the heir to his 
kingdom. He stared into the cradle ; 
and saw the hollow where the little 
head had rested on the pillow and 
the rich robe, the love gift of the 
queen, but Prince Yulyth he saw not. 

LXXII 


The Disappearance of Prince Yulyth 

“Woman,” he said, sternly addressing the terrified nurse, “what 
means this strange tale ; where is the prince, my son?” 

“Alackaday, I know not where the prince may be,” moaned the 
old woman. “I heard the queen cry out in great terror and saw her 
fall fainting to the floor, and when I reached her side the prince had 
vanished. I know no more. If I hang for it, I know no more, O 
king,” and the wretched woman fell on her face at the feet of the 
monarch. 

The king trembled. Magic there must be in this strange dis- 
appearance ; and if there was magic, then there was need of haste. 

“Bid wise Aldwin, the court magician, to come here instantly,” 
commanded the king. 

As the king spoke the door opened and Aldwin, the magician, 
entered. 

“How can I serve thee, O king?” said the magician, bowing low 
his white head. “I know thou hast need of my services, but where- 
fore I know not.” 

The king pointed to the cradle. “Prince Yulyth, my son, 
vanished, even as the queen sat caressing him. See, the cradle is 
empty. Restore him to our arms and ask whatever thou wilt for 
thy reward.” 

Then the wise magician stepped close to the cradle and gazed 


LXXIII 


The Disappearance of Prince Yulyth 

long and earnestly into it, his brow wrinkled with thought. Suddenly 
he turned and looked sharply at the queen. “Where is the thumb- 
ring of Azarel I gave thee, 0 queen?” he questioned. 

“I placed it on the wrist of my baby boy, ” answered the queen. 

“And thoughtlessly turned it three times from right to left, ” said 
Aid win sternly. 

“Alas, alas, I forgot the magic power of the ring,” moaned the 
queen. 

“And the baby disappeared, even as you turned it, ” continued the 
magician. 

“He did, oh, wretched mother that I am!” 

The magician placed a hand on the cradle. 

“Thy son is here, 0 king,” he said. “But thou canst neither see 
nor feel him; and before he can be restored to thy arms and sight 
the magic ring encircling his wrist must be turned three times from 
left to right. A difficult thing to do, O king, because human eyes 
cannot see nor human hands feel the child, and the babe is too young 
to be made to understand how to turn the ring himself. Yet there 
is great need of haste ; for the child will die unless soon fed, and he 
cannot be fed until he can be seen. I go to consult my books of 
magic. Admit no one until I return,” and, bowing low, Aldwin, 
the magician, hastened from the room. 


LXX1V 



The queen threw herself down by the side of the 
cradle and vainly tried to caress her invisible child; 
while the king walked back and forth across the room, 
fiercely biting at his great moustache. 

Presently the door was thrown open with great 
violence and the magician rushed in, trembling with 
excitement and haste. “O king,” he cried, “if thou 
wouldst save thy son, make haste! Summon thy 
bravest and swiftest knight, and bid him ride with all 
possible speed, sparing neither horse nor man, to the 
Black Grotto of Dunwaldin, and bring back with him 
the White Woman, who has charge of the magic 
mirror wherein all things are seen reflected just as they 
are. This mirror is thy only hope, O king! and thou 
must act quickly, for the journey is a long one, and if 
the knight be not back with the White Woman and the 
magic mirror by the going down of the sun, then will thy child be 
lost and thy kingdom be without an heir. ’ ’ 

Without pausing to give a word in reply the king strode to the 
door. “Saddle Thunderbolt, ’ ’ he commanded ; ‘ ‘and summon Knight 
Erwick instantly.” 

In two minutes Knight Erwick stood before the king. In five 
minutes more the knight dashed through the great gates of the city, 
riding as man never rode before; for, if he was not back with the 


LXXV 


The Disappearance of Prince Y ulyth 

White Woman and the magic mirror by sunset, the king had vowed 
he would hang him high as the great dome of the royal palace. 

The queen sat by the side of the cradle weeping ; the king walked 
up and down the room, white with anxiety ; the magician stood at the 
head of the cradle, watching with his keen black eyes the spot w T here 
the child lay ; and the old nurse crouched muttering and mumbling, 
half crazed with fear and grief, at the foot of the cradle. Thus the 
hours went by ; and the sun began to go down in the west. 

Then the king stopped his rapid w r alking across the room and 
stood in the west window watching the sinking sun. “Hasten, 
hasten, brave Erwick, thy life and the life of my son, thy prince, 
hangs on the speed of thy horse’s limbs. Oh, make haste!” and the 
king leaned far out of the window and looked down the long road 
leading to the royal palace. No horseman was in sight. The sun 
sank lower, and grew large and red. In five minutes more it would 
be beneath the horizon. 

“Is the knight in sight?” called the queen. 

“No,” answered the king; “and even now the sun is sinking 
behind the mountains. Our boy, my son, is lost!” and the king 
staggered from the window. But, even as he did so, there came a 
great shout from the courtyard below, the sound of the clank, clank 
of steel hitting the hard marble of the hall floor, and the door was 
thrown open and in staggered the Knight Erwick, covered with dust 


LXXVI 


The Disappearance of Prince Y ulyth 


and flecked with foam. By his side walked a dainty little old woman, 
carrying in one hand a black silk bag fastened by a gold chain to a 
gold belt around her waist. 

The magician hurried to her side, and stooped and whispered into 
her ear, pointing to the cradle. 

The White Woman nodded and hastened to the cradle. “No 
eyes must look into the magic mirror but baby’s and mine,” she 
said. Then she took from the silk bag a small mirror. This she 
held above the cradle and, bending forward, saw reflected in its 
polished surface the baby sleeping quietly in its silken bed, and on 
his wrist she saw the magic ring. Still looking into the mirror she 
reached forth and began turning the ring from left to right. At the 
third turn of the ring the baby suddenly reappeared and was visible to 
all eyes. The White Woman quickly slipped the ring from off the 
little hand, placed it on her own finger, and vanished where she stood. 

Then there was great joy in the king’s palace; and the king went 
about smiling and giving presents of gold and silver. But the happi- 
est of all was the mother-queen, who sat holding Prince Yulyth, her 
baby, close in her arms, rejoicing to feel again the loving warmth of his 
small body and the clinging softness of the touch of his baby fingers. 






? HE old “grandfather’s clock” in the hall had just struck the mid- 
night hour. Lady Victoria Arabella Lee listened carefully 
until the last stroke had ceased its vibrations ; then she sat bolt 
upright in her carved oaken bed and stared haughtily around the 
room. It was a pleasant chamber, bright and cozy, with a little 
bed in one end, a carpet on the floor, and beautiful pictures on the 
walls; and yet Lady Lee was not pleased. When the elegantly 
dressed lady had called for her the day before and had clothed her in 


LXXIX 


Lady Lee 

such beautiful and costly garments, she had expected to be taken to a 
home much more grand than this. Even the beauty and sweetness 
of her little mamma could not drive the bitterness of her disappoint- 
ment out of her vain little head. For, be it known, Lady Victoria 
Arabella Lee was wonderfully beautiful and marvelously accom- 
plished; but her vanity was even greater than her beauty or her 
cleverness ; and she now thought that both had been sadly misjudged 
and misplaced. Hence she was unhappy. 

“Hello, Vic! You are awake, are you?” It was a cheery voice 
which spoke. “Now don’t you feel like hugging yourself all over 
when you think of the pleasant home you have got into and the dear 
little girl who from now on is to be your mamma? She’s just as 
sweet as sugar and just as kind hearted as she can be. Why, she has 
never even stuck a pin into me! My, but won’t we have jolly times 
together ! I ’m your sister now, you know. ’ ’ 

Lady Lee started at the sound, and turning half way about saw 
sitting on the floor near her bed a merry -looking little rubber doll. 
This was Sarah Jane Smith, Sarah Jane’s clothes were ragged and 
dirty, the end of her nose worn off, her right arm gone, and her com- 
plexion — well, it had been like crushed roses and lilies once, but now 
it was almost black. Nevertheless the face that looked up into Lady 
Victoria Arabella Lee’s was such a jolly one that anybody, even with 
eyes half shut, could see that her heart was flooded with happiness. 


LXXX 


Lady Lee 

Lady Lee was shocked. Never before had she been addressed in 
such a familiar way ; and by a ragged, dirty, black-faced rubber doll ! 
Her face became so cold that the wax began to crack. “My name 
is Lady Victoria Arabella Lee,” she said with a supercilious toss of 
her dimpled chin and looking coolly over the head of the rubber doll, 
as though she was talking to somebody else, “and I am the most 
beautiful and wonderfully accomplished doll in the world. I can 
speak poetry and sing. I can — ” 

“And my name is Sarah Jane Smith, ” interrupted the rubber doll, 
not at all abashed, “but for short you can call me Sarah and I’ll just 
call you Vic. Say, Vic — Hello! What’s the matter? Nothing 
busted I hope?” and the rubber eyes stared upward, wide and round 
with amazement. 

Lady Lee had arisen like a queen from her couch, and stood in a 
dramatic attitude. Her eyes were turned upward, her lips parted, 
and one hand waved gracefully in the air in front of her. The other 
hand had grasped a crank, which protruded from the small of her 
back, and was turning it rapidly. She had determined to astound 
and humble the saucy rubber doll by a display of her talents. It was 
the crackling sound made at first by the turning of this crank which 
had startled Sarah Jane. Suddenly the crackling ceased and a 
shrill, high-keyed voice sang : 

“Oh, my name is Lady Lee, Lady Lee, 

And my rank of high degree, high degree ; 

And the world it boweth down 
If I lift my eyes and frown, 

For I’m a daisy and a lady, as you see.” 


LXXXI 


“I declare, Vic, you are a beauty!” exclaimed the 
rubber doll, waving her one arm enthusiastically the 
moment the voice stopped. “And can you go oft like 
that at any time? But, I say, Vic, what’s that piece of 
iron sticking out of your back for? Just come here and 
1 11 see if I can pull it out. It looks horrid. ’ ’ 

But Lady Lee had the dramatics again and did not 
deign either by word or look to notice the humble Sarah 
Jane. Again the shrill voice piped: “I am the wisest doll on the 
face of the earth. I can quote Shakespeare. Listen : 

“The poet’s eye in fine frenzy rolling 
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven — 
Double, double, toil and trouble ; 

Fire bum and cauldron bubble — 

High diddle diddle, 

The cat’s in the middle 

The cow jumped over the moon — 

Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard 
To get her poor dog a bone — 

Mary had a little lamb . Its — ’ ’ 

“Chestnuts! Slip the crank off!” yelled the rubber doll, excitedly 
swinging her one arm above her head. 

This was more than doll vanity could stand. The pink and red 
wax on Ladv Victoria Arabella Lee’s face almost melted with the 



LXXXII 


Lady Lee 


heat of her passion. She forgot her dignity and, letting go of the 
crank, shook her fist in the face of Sarah Jane and shouted: 
“Shut up, you ragged little dirty black-faced nigger! Don’t you 
dare to speak to me again, unless I first speak to you, or I’ll have 
my dear mamma throw you into the rag bag in the morning. ” 

Sarah Jane now got mad as well as excited. “I ain’t a nigger, 
if my face is black,’’ she answered angrily, jumping to her feet. 
“Once my complexion was just as fresh and pretty as yours; but my 
little mamma loves me so dearly that she has kissed it all away. I 
don’t care if you can speak poetry and quote Shakespeare and sing 
songs about yourself. I have got something you haven’t got and 
that’s my dear mamma’s love. Throw me into the rag bag! If she 
heard you say that, she ’d sling you out of the window ! ’ ’ 

“Oh, ho! She may have thought something of you once,’’ 
scornfully laughed Lady Victoria Arabella Lee; “but now I’ve come, 
dear mamma won’t care a scratch of a pin for you. Into the rag 
bag you go in the morning, see if you don’t. ’ ’ 

Sarah Jane loved her mamma so dearly and was so sure that her 
mamma loved her that the contemptuous words of the proud little 
beauty caused her bosom to swell with indignation until it seemed 
about to crack open. 

“Just wait till morning comes and you’ll see who she likes most,” 
she answered. “The doll she likes best she will take up in her arms 


LXXXIII 


Lady Lee 


and hug and kiss it first. And if she doesn’t pick me up first you can 
throw me into the rag bag yourself, you mean, proud thing. ’ ’ 

“I’ll teach you to call me names, ” shouted Lady Lee, seizing a toy 
rolling-pin which lay near by and flourishing it threateningly around 
her head. “ I’ll smash — ’ ’ 

Just at this moment the old clock in the hall struck one. At the 
sound of the stroke both dolls sank back into their original positions 
and became rigid and still. Not another motion did they make 
during the night. 

In the morning little Floy sprang from her bed and, running to 
where the dolls lay, quickly picked up the ugly, black-faced rubber 
doll ; and not until she had hugged and kissed it again and again did 
she give any attention to her aunt’s costly gift, the wonderful and 
beautiful talking doll, Lady Victoria Arabella Lee. 




do some work, and I am getting just as sick of work as I can be, and 
I’m not going to do any more work; so there, now!” and Billy Boy 
lay back sullenly in the chair, and kicked out his toes defiantly. 

Billy Boy’s mother sighed. “Come, come, Billy,” she said 
coaxingly. “I need the milk right off, and then I want you to run 
to the store and get me a peck of potatoes and a pound of sugar, and 
I must have a gallon of oil to-night. Come, come! Hurry, dear. 


LXIXV 


The Little Man With the Sharp Spear 


Your father will soon be at home, and you know we must all work 
a little, or how could any of us live?” 

Billy Boy frowned until his bright young face looked very ugly ; 
then he settled back determinedly in the easy chair, and his face 
became even more ugly-looking. ‘‘Mamma, I won’t go after the 
milk and I won’t get the potatoes and sugar and I won’t get the 
oil. I ’m not going to be made a slave of ; I’m not going to work all 
the time. Oh, dear, I wish I could go where there was no work to do, 
not a blessed bit of work to do,” and Billy Boy looked very obsti- 
nate and disagreeable. 

The face of Billy Boy’s mother flushed a little ; then she walked over 
to the chair where Billy Boy was sitting. ‘‘Come, my boy,” she said 
gently but firmly, ‘‘if you can’t do just a little work to help mamma, 
you must go to bed right away,” and she lifted Billy Boy up in her 
arms, and, in spite of his vigorous protests and kicks and loud cries, 
she carried him into his pretty little room and undressed him and put 
him to bed. 

Billy Boy yelled his protests against this sort of treatment, and 
cried and kicked, and was a very naughty boy indeed; but, by and 
by, as the room grew darker, his crying changed to sobs, and presently 
Billy Boy lay still. 

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain like a pin prick, dart through his 


LXXXVI 


The Little JWan With the Sharp Spear 

left cheek, and heard a queer little voice yell close to his ear: “Ho! 
ho! there! Wake up!” 

Billy Boy opened his eyes, and was more astonished than I can 
tell you to see, standing on the pillow by the side of his face, a little 
man not longer than his father’s finger. This little man had a hat 
with a long white feather in it, a pointed mustache, and wore velvet 
doublets and hose of black silk, and held in his right hand a long, 
sharp spear. 

“Ho! Ho!” he again shouted, giving Billy Boy another jab in the 
cheek with the sharp point of his spear. “Come, wake up! I can’t 
wait forever for you, you lazy boy! Come, jump astride of my spear 
and we’ll be off!” 

Billy Boy rubbed his eyes; then he laughed. The idea of his 
sitting astride of that spear! Why, it was hardly larger than a pin ! 

“Shut up!” yelled the little man. “Your laugh is enough to 
shake the stars out of the sky. Oh! I’ll stop that!” and to Billy 
Boy’s great terror the little man leaped right up on his forehead and 
stamped three times with the golden heel of one of his little boots — 
and the next moment Billy Boy found himself smaller than was 
the little man. 

“There you are! Now jump astride of this spear, and be quick 
about it,” commanded the little man, holding the spear out hori- 
zontally. 



The Little Man With the Sharp Spear 

Billy Boy was too astonished not to obey, and he jumped on the 
spear, gripping the handle tightly with both hands. No sooner was 
Billy Boy seated firmly than the little man sprang astride right 
behind him. » 

“Now we’re off!” he shouted; and the spear, carrying them both, 
darted out through the window; up, up above the clouds; up, up 
above the moon ; and when they stopped they were in another world, 
the like of which Billy Boy had never even dreamed of. There were 
a great many boys and girls there, and men and women ; but such a 
sorry-looking lot of people Billy Boy never had seen before. Their 
clothes were in rags, their feet were bare, their hair uncombed, their 
faces and hands dirty, and they looked half starved. The weather 
was quite chilly and a drizzling rain was falling, yet there appeared to 
be no shelter for them, and they were lying around under trees and 
bushes and behind rocks. The more Billy Boy looked the less he 
liked the place and the people. 

“Come,” he said, “what did you bring me to this miserable hole 
for ? I don ’t want to stay here. Take me away, quick ! ’ ’ 

“Why,” answered the little man in surprise, “I brought you here 
because you wanted to come. This is the place where nobody works, 
and you wished to go where there was no work to do, did you not ?” 

“Yes,” answered Billy Boy, and for a moment he was delighted 
with the prospect of being where he would never have to do a stroke of 


LXXXVIII 


The Little Man With the Sharp Spear 

work. “But I am getting cold and wet. Take me into a house, 
please.” 

“Into a house ! ’ ’ exclaimed the little man. “A house ! Why, there 
are no houses here! It takes work to build houses, and nobody 
works here!” 

“Then get me an umbrella,” said Billy Boy crossly. “I can’t 
stand here in this rain. I ’ll catch my death a-cold. ’ ’ 

“An umbrella!” said the little man. “Why, there are no um- 
brellas here! It takes work to make umbrellas, and nobody works 
here!” 

“Well,” said Billy Boy still more crossly, “give me a cup of- hot 
coffee to take the chill out of me ; I am freezing. ’ ’ 

“Coffee!” said the little man. “Why, there is no coffee here! 
It takes work to grow coffee, and nobody works here !” 

“Then I want some candy or ice cream or soda or something to 
eat and drink. I am hungry,” complained Billy Boy, looking very 
sourly around him. 

“Candy! Ice cream! Soda! Something to eat and drink!” 
said the little man. “Why, there is no candy, no ice cream, no 
soda — nothing to eat and drink but what you can find on the ground 
here ! It takes work to make candy and such truck, and to prepare 
and cook food, and nobody works here !” 


LXXXIX 


The Little Man With the Sharp Spear 

“But I am so cold,” cried Billy Boy, his teeth beginning to 
chatter. “I must have a coat or something on or I shall be sure to 
freeze.” 

“A coat!” said the little man. “Why, there are no coats here! 
It takes work to make coats, and nobody works here!” 

“Then I won’t stay here another minute, ” cried Billy Boy angrily. 
“I want you to take me right back home. It is the disgustingest 
place, with the laziest people I ever saw, and I don’t like it one bit. 
Take me home, I say, ” and Billy Boy stamped his foot. 

‘ ‘ Home ! ’ ’ said the little man. “Why, it would make work to take 
you home, and nobody works here ! So crawl under a rock and make 
yourself comfortable.” 

Then Billy Boy got angry. He shook his fist in the face of the 
little man and yelled: “You take me home or I’ll knock the head 
off you ! Quick now, or I ’ll fight you ! ’ ’ 

“Fight!” said the little man. “Why, it is work to fight, and 
nobody works here !” 

“I’ll show you, you lazy, good for nothing — ’’and Billy Boy 
doubled up both fists and sprang right at the little man. 

There was a resounding thump, and Billy Boy picked himself up 
off the floor, rubbed his eyes, and crawled slowly back into bed, where 
he lay for some little while very still and thinking very hard. Then 

XC 


The Little JWan With the Sharp Spear 

he got out of bed and went into the kitchen, where his mother was at 
work. 

“Mamma,” he said, “I didn’t mean it; I don’t want to go where 
nobody works. It’s a horrid place. I’ll work because I want so 
much. We get things by working, don ’t we, mamma ? ’ ’ 

“Yes,” answered the mother, and there was a smile on her face 
as she stooped to kiss Billy Boy. 



































- 






























T HE home of the King of the Golden 
Woods was in a snow-white palace of 
polished marble, crowned by a central dome 
of burnished gold incrusted with diamonds 
and rubies, and more beautiful than pen can 
tell. Around this palace rose a mighty wall of 
smooth black marble, forty feet thick and one 
hundred feet high. On top of this wall, at 
regular intervals, fifty great armed giants 
kept watch and ward, and each giant had two eyes, one in the center 
of the forehead and one in the back of the head, as all good sentinels 
should have. At the four points of the compass four strong gates 
of bronze guarded the only openings through the wall. Around the 


XCIII 


The King of the Golden Woods 

wall, for seven leagues in every direction, grew the golden forest of 
the king, a marvelous wood wherein every tree and shrub was pure 
gold, from its topmost leaf to its bottommost root. In all the world 
there was not another forest like to this great wood of gold, and 
because of it the king was called the King of the Golden Woods. 

Through the forest ran four roads to the four gates of the great 
wall surrounding the king’s palace, and at the beginning of each road 
stood a huge marble block, cut deep with letters which read : 

I, the King of the Golden Woods, have a daughter, whom I love, 
but no son. Therefore, before I die I would see my daughter happily 
wed to a man fit to be king over her heart and ruler over the Golden 
Woods. This road leads through the Golden Woods to the gate in 
the great wall surrounding the king’s palace; and I, the King, invite 
all who would do their endeavor to win this priceless guerdon — a 
king’s daughter and a king’s throne — to journey hitherward. Let no 
one in whose heart dwells evil or vaunting ambition or cruel hard- 
ness or sordid greediness or boasting cowardice, attempt the journey ; 
for I, the King, have beset the road with manifold and deadly perils 
to all who have evil in their hearts or lives. 

For three years had these marble blocks stood at the head of the 
four roads; yet the daughter of the King of the Golden Woods 
remained unwed. Not because there had been wanting men to 
attempt the journey through the woods of gold; for then, as now, 


XCIV 


The King of the Golden Woods 


men loved gold and beauty and power, and were ready to peril limb 
and life for their winning ; but of all the hundreds who had ventured 
on the quest, and had bravely entered the golden forest, not one, 
prince or knight or peasant, had ever returned. Men thought of the 
horror of this, and the ardor of their hearts grew cold, and none 
longer cared to venture beneath the somber shadows of the trees of 
gold, not even to wed a king’s daughter and to sit on a king’s throne. 
The grass grew long on the roadways, and the moss began to creep 
over the white of the marble blocks. 

Then came to the north road four brothers, sons of a powerful 
king whose kingdom was a year’s journey from the realm of the King 
of the Golden Woods, and with the four brothers rode their page, 
Yosuff. It had taken one year for the strange proclamation of the 
King of the Golden Woods to reach the ears of the four brothers; 
another year had gone ere they had won their father’s consent to 
depart on a quest so distant and so uncertain; and the third year 
had been passed in making the journey. 

Prince Odolph, the eldest of the four brothers, spurred his horse to 
the side of the huge block of marble, and, leaning forward, read aloud 
what was written thereon. Then the four brothers looked long and 
earnestly at the great wood of gold, sparkling in the bright light of the 
morning. Not a sound, not a movement, came from within its 
yellow depths, and its shadows hung darkly above the ground. 


xcv 


The King of the Golden Woods 


“I go forward,” said Prince Odolph, “without fear, ready to peril 
all for the winning of so great a prize,” and, seating himself firmly in 
the saddle, he dropped his vizor, gripped his spear-shaft strongly, 
and rode down the highway leading into the great wood of gold. 

“I follow my brother, ready to share his peril, to fight for his 
safety, and, if it be God’s will that he should perish, to continue the 
quest to the end, fearing death less than defeat, ” said Prince Ormand, 
the second of the four brothers, riding close after Prince Odolph. 

“ I go forward until all of us be dead or one of us a king. Ride on ! ” 
called Prince Armad, the third of the four brothers, touching spurs to 
his horse and riding up close to the side of Prince Ormand. 

‘ ‘And I ride forth blithely to win a bride and a throne, or a grave, ’ 
cried Prince Ized, the youngest of the brothers; and, like a happy 
schoolboy, tossing high his lance into the air and catching it, he dug 
the spurs into his horse’s flanks and galloped after his brothers. 

Then said Yosuff the page: “For love of the brothers ride I into 
these weird woods, ready to face whatever comes, and caring not for 
death, so be it I can die like a man, leaving my honor bright and my 
sword clean.” 

No sound came to the ears of the five men as they entered the 
great woods save the footfalls of their horses’ hoofs and their own 
deep breathings. Above their heads the golden branches hung 
silent and motionless. Not a leaf trembled. Around them, like the 


XCVI 


The King of the Golden Woods 


pillars of a mighty temple, towered the great trunks of gold, and on 
the ground the grass grew green. Soon the grandeur and the beauty 
of the scene began to work upon their souls. Their eyes sparkled and 
their faces flushed. Wealth, boundless wealth, was here — was theirs 
for the taking ! There were no eyes to see, and the gold was every- 
where, cumbering the earth with its massive weight. 

Suddenly Prince Ized gave a shout and, drawing his sharp sword 
from its scabbard, cried aloud: “I vow I will have this wondrous 
branch in spite of all the demons of this marvelous woods!” And 
as he cried, he swung his sword and cut from a great tree a branch of 
gold. 

At the stroke of the sword a shudder shook the mighty woods, the 
huge trunks began to sway and to shake until the earth trembled, 
and the branches lashed the air furiously, as if under the whip of a 
hurricane ; yet there was not a breath of air stirring. Then, with a 
low, moaning sound, the giant trees began to move bodily through the 
ground, and swiftly, one by one, to come between Prince Ized and 
his brothers, until a solid wall of golden trunks surrounded him and 
held him prisoner. 

A great whistling wind blew coldly through the woods, and the 
trees slowly returned to their places ; but Prince Ized had vanished. 

.The three brothers watched this awesome sight, sitting white and 
still in their saddles, numb with the terror of it; but Yosuff the page 


XCVIX 


The King of the Golden Woods 


dug his spurs deep into his horse’s sides and sprang to the rescue, 
only to dash vainly against the solid trunks of the intercepting trees. 

When the moaning sound grew still and the great trees again 
stood motionless, the three brothers continued their journey in 
silence, riding close together, and shuddering whenever a branch of 
gold chanced to touch the white plumes of their helmets. 

For a league farther they rode thus, and then they came to a 
mighty river rolling swiftly between rocky banks, its surface a fierce 
turmoil of foaming water and whirling cakes of ice. On the bank of 
the river sat four hideous dwarfs, their bodies . having no covering 
except a fur of coarse red hair. The instant their eyes caught sight of 
the four men, they jumped to their feet and shouted: “Haste! 
Haste! The wolves! The wolves!” Then each dwarf ran swiftly 
to a horseman’s side, and begged to be taken up behind and carried 
across the river, where the wolves could not go. 

The men heard the sound of many feet coming from behind, and, 
turning quickly, saw hundreds of great yellow wolves leaping 
fiercely toward them. 

Prince Odolph and Prince Ormand and Yosuff the page each 
paused to swing a dwarf upon the horse behind him; but Prince 
Armad beat the misshapen being from his stirrup’s side with the 
shaft of his long lance, and, all heedless of his piteous cries, dashed 
away toward the river. 


XCVIII 


The King of the Golden Woods 


When Yosuff the page saw that the dwarf must perish unless 
helped, he quickly drew rein. “Come,” said he, “I am light and my 
horse is strong. He can carry three. The wolves shall not eat you, ” 
and he swung the dwarf up in front of himself. 

Then a strange thing happened. 

Prince Armad, not having been delayed by the dwarfs, nor his 
horse cumbered with the weight of one, reached the river first, and 
dashed into the water. Instantly, like a thing of life, the river leaped 
upon him, and man and horse vanished in a mighty rush of whirling 
ice and foam, down the course of the stream. 

The three men drew rein, white with wonder and horror ; for on the 
instant of the disappearance of Prince Armad, the swift river sank 
into the ground, the dwarfs slipped from off the horses’ backs and 
ran into the woods, and the wolves vanished in a thick yellow mist. 

“Great must be the prize guarded thus fearfully,” said Prince 
Odolph. “Come, brother, let us go forward and meet the end 
quickly,” and the two brothers, followed by Yosuff the page, rode 
swiftly on underneath the trees of gold. 

Presently they came to a high hill, and when they had reached the 
top of the hill, they saw, in a beautiful valley surrounded by a high 
wall of black marble, the marvelous palace of the King of the Golden 
Woods. The great dome of burnished gold with its glittering 

XCIX 


L. of C. 



jewels, the grand pal- 
ace of white marble, 
and the mighty sur- 
rounding woods o f 
solid gold, all lay 
beneath their eyes. 
At this wondrous 
sight their bosoms swelled. To be lord of all these riches, King of the 
Golden Woods! What would not man do for splendors such as these ? 

Long the two brothers looked at the glittering dome of the palace 
and the surrounding woods of gold; and evil thoughts began to 
gather in their hearts, and each glanced darkly at the other. 

“Brother,” said Prince Odolph roughly, “I am the elder. I will 
ride to the palace of the king alone. Remain thou here. ” 

“Not so,” answered Prince Ormand shortly. “In this quest all 
are equal. I go to the king’s palace or I die. ” 

“Then die!” cried Prince Odolph fiercely. “Two cannot win 
this prize. One of us must perish, and it were better that he should 
perish here.” And the two brothers gripped their lances and 
charged each at the other. They met with a great crash, and the 



lances were shivered 
to the hands, but 
neither man was un- 
horsed. Then they 
drew their swords; 
but before either 
could strike a blow, 
with a roar as of the rushing together of many winds, a great whirling 
black smoke fell upon the two brothers and bore them swiftly away. 

Yosuff the page sat on his horse alone. His heart was heavy, for 
he had loved the four brothers. 

“Now I will go to their father the king,” he said; and bowing his 
head he rode sadly down the hill. 

When he came to the foot of the hill he found an old man lying 
by the roadside, moaning with the agony of a broken leg. Yosuff 
dismounted and helped the sufferer upon the back of his horse. 

“To the palace, ’ ’ moaned the old man. “There is no help nearer. ’ ’ 

“I will then bear you to the palace,” answered Yosuff, thinking 
only of saving the old man’s life. And mounting and holding the 


Cl 


The King of the Golden Woods 

old man in his arms so as to ease his pain, he rode to the gate in the 
great wall around the palace. 

The instant he stopped before the gate, the giant sentinel on the 
top of the wall called with a loud voice, “Ho, the King has come!” 
and “Ho, the King has come!” repeated all the other giants, all 
around the wall. The great gate of bronze swung wide open, and 
there, ready to receive Yosuff the page, was the King of the Golden 
Woods and all his magnificent court ; and back of the King, surrounded 
by a guard of men-at-arms, stood the four brothers in the midst of a 
great number of other men who had been unsuccessful. 

“I crave thy mercy, O King, for this old man, who has received a 
grievous hurt,” said Yosuff, quickly dismounting and bowing low at 
the feet of the King ; “and I beg that he may be given into the hands 
of thy physicians. As for myself, with thy permission I will return 
to the land whence I came, for unhappily hath the enterprise ended 
for those for whose sake I journeyed hither.” 

But the King, bending forward, lifted Yosuff to his feet and said: 
“Arise’ Henceforth thou art my son, and the heir to my kingdom; 
for thou hast proven thyself brave and noble-hearted, even as a king 
should be. But,” said the King, pointing to the four brothers and 
the long row of stately men who stood waiting with bowed heads, 
“these men, who came hither seeking a great prize and failed of the 

CU 


The King of the Golden Woods 


winning of it because of the evil in their hearts, shall be thy servants, 
and learn the worth of true nobility in thy service. ” 

Then the King threw a chain of gold around the neck of the 
youth and a purple robe over his shoulders, and led him amid great 
rejoicings into his palace. 

Thus it came about that Yosuff the page, who entered the Golden 
Woods with a pure and kind heart and seeking nothing, won all. 




























































































































































































O NCE, while little May was playing in the cool 
shade of a tall maple tree, she saw what she 
took to be a pretty fly dart by her face and 
dash right into the web of a great ugly spider. In a 
moment the feet and the bright wings were so en- 
tangled that, though the little animal struggled with 
all its might, it could not escape. May had a tender heart, and when 
she saw the huge bloated spider rush forth to seize his prey, she 
quickly reached out her hand and rescued the fly. To her great 
astonishment it proved to be not a fly at all, but a wee fairy, not 
longer than the nail on her little finger and with wings of a dazzling 
brightness. The little maid was too astonished to do aught but stare 
at the mite in her hand ; but the fairy did not seem to be one whit put 


CV 


The Gold “Button 


out or embarrassed. He very deliberately brushed the webs off 
his bright wings and trim figure, and then, looking up into the big 
round eyes of the little girl, called out: “Oh, ho! my little maid! 
That was a tight pinch for me, was it not? Oh! how I hate those 
great brutal spiders with their nasty, sticky webs. Would you be- 
lieve me, they kill and eat thousands of us every summer. But your 
quick hand saved me that time. I am sure I am very much obliged to 
you, and I am going to leave you a substantial token of my gratitude. ” 

As the little man said this, he cut one of the bright gold buttons 
off his glistening coat of green silk, and with a courtly bow laid it 
at his feet in the palm of the little girl’s hand. 

“This button,” he continued, “is one that the lips of our sweet 
Queen have touched, and has wondrous power. Sew the button on 
your dress and so long as it remains there you will be the prettiest, 
the richest, and the most appropriately clothed, no matter what the 
occasion may be, of all your companions. You cannot tear, soil, or in 
any way damage the dress, so long as the button remains on it. 
But, if for any reason it is allowed to become separated from the 
dress, then, at that instant, the button will disappear and the dress 
will look as any garment would that had been worn for the same 
length of time. I beg your pardon, my little lady, but I must 
away; for I am in a very great hurry. May your life be as joyous as 
the smile of our Queen, ” and with this pleasant wish the merry little 


CVI 


fellow spread out his wings and darted swiftly away, 
without even waiting for the little girl to thank him. 

The gold button, which had been very small when 
the fairy laid it in May’s hands, now, all of a sudden, 
became as large around as a silver quarter, and little 
May could see on its otherwise plain surface six roughly 
engraved and awkward-looking characters. The but- 
ton, though of gold, was by no means handsome. 

For a time little May was very happy because of the 
wondrous gift of the fairy. Wherever she went she 
was always the prettiest, the richest, and the most 
appropriately dressed of all her companions. In- 
deed, her beautiful dress was the admiration and wonder of every- 
body who saw it. But soon she began to put on little airs of superior- 
ity and became so filled up with pride as to leave no room for the 
modesty which had heretofore made her such a charming little girl 
and so agreeable a playmate. Then she was but a step from un- 
happiness. After a short time she even began to shun the society 
of her humble playmates. She considered herself too nice to play 
with ordinary girls and boys. “Only the children of kings and 
princes are fit to be my associates,” she thought. 

At length the prince of that country gave a great party in honor of 
his little daughter’s birthday and to May’s joy she was invited. 

The little girls at this party were all clothed in silk and satin, 



CVII 


Z5he Gold 'Button 


and costly jewels sparkled from the rich folds of their garments and 
gleamed in their hair. But not one of them, not even the daughter 
of the prince herself, had on as beautiful a dress as did little May. 
Even the great ladies of the prince ’s household had never before seen 
a dress of such wondrous beauty, and they crowded around May and 
admired her dress and made of her until her vain little head was 
quite turned. 

This was not at all pleasing to the other little girls, and especially 
aroused the envy of the prince’s daughter, who had never before, as 
she thought, been so shamefully out-dressed by any of her com- 
panions. She began to hate little May and determined if possible 
to humiliate her. 

Had May been the pleasant, modest little girl she once was, not 
even the jealousy of the daughter of the prince could have harmed 
her. But, alas, the admiration of the grand ladies had so filled her 
head with vanity that she now thought herself a very wonderful little 
girl indeed. She tried to ape the manners of these fine ladies, and 
strutted about among her playmates with such a grand air of super - 
iority that soon one and all began to dislike her most heartily. 

At last the envious eyes of her little hostess caught sight of the 
gold button, which was still as plain and ugly-looking as ever, and 
which really did look quite out of place on May’s splendid apparel. 


CVIII 


“Oh, girls,” she cried, “just see what a great button May 
wears under the lace around her neck. Oh, please let us look ! ’ ’ 

This was said to May, as she lifted the delicate texture and 
exposed the ugly button to all. 

All the girls crowded about delighted to find something 
upon the otherwise perfectly dressed little girl with which 
they could find fault. 

“Did your great-grandfather wear it on his wedding coat?” 
inquired the prince’s daughter. “My, he must have looked 
fine with a double row of those great ugly things shining on 
his breast.” 

“No ; I will tell you how she came by it,” laughed another, 
uncle, the blacksmith, made it out of the only piece of gold her father 
ever had, and gave it to her when she was a baby. Can’t you see the 
marks of her teeth on it ?” 

“Yes, and that is why she values it so greatly,” a third cried. 
“But don’t it make her look funny?” 

“I suppose you would not part with it for all the world?” mock- 
ingly inquired another. “You know there is so much gold in it. ” 

By this time little May’s cheeks had turned crimson with shame. 
How she hated the great ugly button ! She owed all of this humili- 
ation to it. She forgot that she also owed all of the splendors of her 
dress to the same humble source. Sometimes, even grown people 



CIX 


Ghe Gold "Button 


forget the ladder by means of which they climbed to prosperity, and 
then it is that they are in danger of a sudden and terrible fall. 

Little May stood the taunts of her jealous companions just as 
long as her pride would allow her to, and then she cried out passion- 
ately : 

“I shan’t wear the big nasty thing any longer.” 

As she said this she tore the button from off her dress and flung 
it on the floor at her feet, where it instantly vanished from sight. At 
the same moment she saw her companions throw up their hands in 
horrified astonishment and run screaming away. 

For a time she could not understand what had frightened them ; 
but, on turning suddenly around to see if there was anything behind 
her, she was astonished to find what she took, at first, to be a ragged, 
dirty beggar girl standing only a few feet from her, who, some- 
how, looked very familiar. A second glance, and little May almost 
fell to the floor with shame and horror ; for she saw that she was 
looking at her own image, reflected by one of the large mirrors which 
hung on the walls of the room. She then recalled to mind the warn- 
ing of the fairy, and burst into a flood of vain tears. 

A moment after a servant entered, who, thinking her nothing but 
a ragged beggar girl, drove her angrily from the house of the prince, 
and out upon the street. 




OW a frog has brains as well as legs ; and Chofoo, the bullfrog, 
was wise, and knew the Laws of the Marsh and Lake and the 
Rule of Four ; and he should have known better than to go past 
the Great Black Rock which stands at the foot of High Hill and 
marks the ending of the Marsh and Lake and the beginning of the 
Domain of Man. Chinchunk, the old turtle, met him at the Great 




CXI 


The Place Where fAan Lives 

Black Rock, and warned him that the laws of the Marsh and Lake 
would not protect him if he passed by the rock; and called his 
attention to the Rule of Four, which, as every frog knows, reads : 

‘ ‘ Never go far from the water ; 

Jump, when Man swings his arm; 

Croak, when the sun sets at evening ; 

Dive at the hoot of the owl.” 

So Chofoo, the bullfrog, had learning enough and warning enough ; 
and if he had had an equal amount of sense in his head he never 
would have taken a leap beyond the Great Black Rock. 

The morning was cool and the grass was wet with dew; and 
Chofoo felt in uncommon good spirits, and therefore venturesome. 
He laughed at the warning of Chinchunk, the solemn old turtle, 
stretched his long legs, and, by way of declaring his contempt of the 
caution, made a great leap past the Black Rock and landed in the 
Domain of Man. And then, just to show the endurance of his 
courage, he made another great leap followed by three quick jumps, 
and stopped under a huge mullein leaf to look around. 

Sorrle six jumps to his right he saw a high stone wall, running in a 
straight line over the brow of a hill ; and on top of the wall sat Chitkee, 
the chipmunk, eating a nut. 

‘‘Ho, ho, Chitkee,” called Chofoo. ‘‘I go to see where this great 
monster, Man, lives, whose tread shakes the hearts of all the people 
of the Marsh and Lake . Come with me!” 

Chitkee, the chipmunk, dropped his nut and, darting quickly 


cxi i 


The Place Where Man Lives 


down from the wall, jumped upon a stump and looked at Chofoo. 
“Hi, hi. Chofoo,” he called back, “I will go. It is a great sight, the 
Place where Man lives. But wait a moment. I will ask Tewee, the 
mouse, to go with us. Tewee knows the ways of Man. He lived 
with Man once,” and, leaping from the stump to the ground, Chitkee 
ran to the hollow log, where Tewee had built his home, and scratched 
three times on the doorsill. “Come, Tewee,” he called. “Chofoo, 
the bullfrog, and I go to the Place where Man lives. Come, go with 
us!” 

Tewee came to the door and looked out. 

“Yes, I will go, Chitkee,” he answered. “But Man is dangerous 
and we must move with caution. Man killed my father and grand- 
father and great-grandfather, and I very much fear in the end Man 
will kill me. It runs in the family,” and Tewee shook his head 
sadly. “Yet I will go, for it is a sight worth the seeing, the Place 
where Man lives. Where is Chofoo, the frog ? ’ ’ 

“Here, here,” answered Chofoo, and with a great leap he landed 
by the side of Chitkee, the chipmunk, and Tewee, the mouse. 

“This we must do, ’ ’ said Tewee. ‘ ‘The great stone wall leads over 
the hill to the place where Man lives. I, who have been there before, 
will run along on the top, and Chofoo can keep to the right and 
Chitkee to the left of the wall. In this way we can see danger in 


CXIII 


The Place Where Man Lives 


whatever direction it approaches; and, if it comes too near, we can 
hide quickly underneath the stones of the wall. ” 

“A good plan,” said Chofoo. “Come on,” and he gave a high 
jump and came down on top of the hollow log. “I can see far and 
jump high. Man will need to be sharp to harm me,” and, puffing 
out the white of his throat proudly, he took a long leap from the top 
of the log. 

“Hi, hi, Tewee is wise,” cried Chitkee, the chipmunk, darting 
swiftly over the stones to his side of the wall. ‘‘Tewee is wise, and 
I am cunning and quick. Man can do no hurt while I guard,” and 
Chitkee ran along to the left of the wall, keeping a sharp lookout for 
Man as he ran. 

But Tewee, the mouse, kept silent and ran slowly over the flat 
stones on the top of the wall, his sharp black eyes glancing in every 
direction ; for Tewee had been to the Place where Man lives and knew 
the might of the dread monster who dwelt there. 

Suddenly, when near to the middle of the hill, Tewee uttered a 
sharp cry of warning and scurried behind a stone, where he lay look- 
ing out from beneath a comer of the stone toward the brow of the 
hill. 

‘‘Hi, hi! Where? where?” shouted Chitkee, darting up the wall 
to the side of Tewee. 


(>)>■ 

^ C) 


The Place Where Man Lives 

“There, there; on the brow of the hill! Keep still, and lie close,” 
answered Tewee, panting with excitement. 

But Chofoo, the bullfrog, being low down where the grass was 
high, could see nothing. “Ho, ho,” he thought; “I must know what 
is causing these timid fellows all this excitement,” and he gave a 
long jump and landed on the top of a high stone. 

Then from over the brow of the hill came a great monster, 
walking on two feet and swinging a huge club in his hand. 

“Tewee, is that Man?” asked Chofoo. 

“No, that is not Man,” answered Tewee. “That is the young of 
Man. Boy he- is called. Man is much greater and has bunches of 
hair growing on his face. Down, Chofoo, down quick, and hide. 
Boy has seen you. See, he is bending over to pick up a stone. Get 
behind a rock quick,” and Tewee and Chitkee sought safety far down 
undej* the stones of the wall. 

“Plooff! Plooff!” laughed Chofoo. “Have no fear. My legs 
are long and strong, and I can leap high and far. Boy will not harm 
me. Plooff!” and, swelling out his chest proudly, he wat'ched 
curiously the antics of the two-legged monster. 



The Place Where Mon Lives 

Crash! With the sound of thunder a great rock struck the stone 
on which Chofoo was sitting ; a blinding shower of sparks and pieces 
of rock flew into his face ; and he was hurled off the stone to the 
ground, where he lay flat on his back, too astonished and too fright- 
ened to move. 

“Quick! Quick!” squeaked Tewee. “Under the stones, quick! 
Boy is coming!” and the brave little fellow, running from the safety 
of the wall to where Chofoo lay half stunned on his back, thrust his 
sharp nose under him and attempted to turn him right side up. 

Chofoo coughed and flopped over on his feet. “Did the top of 
the hill fall on me?” he asked, blinking wildly. 

“No; Boy threw a stone. Quick, under the wall! Boy is after 
you ! ’ ’ and Tewee darted away . 

“Plooff! I see Boy catching me!” and the throat of Chofoo 

began to swell proudly. “My legs are long and I Jumping 

snakes! what’s that?” 

Suddenly a great thing stood over Chofoo, and a mighty hand 
and arm reached down to grab him. He gave a wild jump of terror. 
There was a rush of huge feet after him ; a crash like the falling of a 
great tree near his head; and, panting and trembling, he tumbled 
through a hole in the wall and crawled under a stone. 

“Did the moon fall out of the sky and strike near my head, 
Tewee?” he panted. 


cxvi 


The Place Where fllan Lives 


“No,” answered Tewee; “that was the young of Man, Boy. He 
struck at you with his club. Hark, you can hear him walking away. 
His tread makes the stones tremble. ” 

Plooff ! ” and Chof oo crawled out from under the stone . ‘ ‘ Plooff ! 
I was not afraid! Did you see how I fooled Boy? My legs are 
long and strong and I can jump far. Plooff!” and he began to puff 
out his chest. 

Tewee now ran on top of the stone wall. “Come,” he called, 
“Boy has gone.” 

Then Chitkee and Chofoo went each to his side of the wall, and 
the journey was resumed. 

When they came to the top of the hill they saw a level tract of 
land and on the level tract of land were huge things like great rocks, 
only they were not rocks, and smoke was coming out of one, and all 
had curious holes in their sides with something shiny in the holes. 

“That is Man’s nest,” said Tewee, pointing to the one that smoked; 
“and those others are bams and sheds, where Man keeps cows and 
horses and other monsters which do his bidding. But the most 
curious of all is Man’s nest. I once lived in Man’s nest ; but ” 

“Hi, hi,” interrupted Chitkee. “See, there is a flat stone under 
the great tree. Let us sit there. It is much nearer to Man’s nest, 
and we can see better. ’ ’ 

“Good, good,” croaked Chofoo. “Come on,” and in ten long 


CXVII 


The Place Where Man Lives 

jumps and six short hops he reached the top of the flat stone. Chitkee 
and Tewee ran along after him, and sprang up on the stone by his 
side. 

“See, see!” squeaked Tewee, “Man is coming out!” 

A hole near the bottom of Man’s nest opened, and a huge monster 
walking on two legs and with bunches of hair growing on his face and 
head, came out ; and after him came Boy. The two monsters walked 
a little way, then they stopped, and Boy pointed to the flat stone. 
Man said something in a rough, loud voice, and Boy ran back quickly 
into the nest. In a moment he came out again with a long bright 
thing in his hand, which he gave to Man. 

“What ugly -looking monsters,” said Chofoo. 

“I wonder why they walk on their hind legs when walking on all 
four legs is so much more comfortable, ” said Chitkee. 

Man lifted the long bright thing to his shoulder, and pointed it 
toward the flat stone. 

Chitkee stood up on his hind legs and watched Man curiously. 
Tewee gave a frightened squeak and jumped off the stone. “Quick 
quick, hide ! ” he called. ‘ ‘ Man has seen us ! ” 

“Hi, hi,” laughed Chitkee, “Tewee is timid. Man can’t kill by 
looking.” 

“Plooff! Plooff!” croaked Chofoo. “I am not afraid! Man 


cxviii 


The Place Where Man Lives 


can’t swim. There is no web between his toes. Plooff! My legs 
are ” 

At that instant a bright flame leaped from the long thing Man 
held to his shoulder. There was a deafening sound like a sharp clap 
of heavy thunder, a shrieking in the air like the cry of thousands of 
demons ; and Chitkee whirled over backward and rolled off the stone, 
his head nearly tom from his body by some awful unseen force. 
Chofoo leaped high in the air; and over stones and sticks and 
through brush and grass he tore, and never paused for an instant 
until he fell nearly dead with exhaustion and fear in the cool shadow 
of the Great Black Rock, where sat Chinchunk, the solemn old turtle. 

Chinchunk slowly nodded his head. “There is wisdom in the 
sayings of the old and wise,” he said solemnly; “but young fools 
learn the hardness of a stone by knocking their brains against it. ” 

And Chofoo, the bullfrog, answered not a word. 













































































































* 




























7 HE GIANT’S PILLOW lay in the midst of the great woods that 
clothed the foot of the Black Mountain; and was a huge white rock 
longer than it was wide, with sides swelling out like the sides of a 
great pillow. At one end of this rock grew a mighty tree with black 
leaves, and whenever a black leaf fell and touched the white rock it 
instantly became white. At the other end of the rock and six steps 


CXXI 


The Giant's PillotO 


of a tall man from it, stood a shaft of polished black marble ; and on 
top of the tapering point of the marble shaft was carven a great stone 
eye; and underneath the stone eye hung a small bronze key; and 
beneath the eye and the key was a bronze tablet inserted in the 
marble of the shaft and marked with these words : 

SIR KNIGHTS AND BRAVE MEN ALL I IF THOU WOULDST 
BEHOLD HER WHOSE WEAKNESS AND DISTRESS CRAVES SUC- 
COR OF THY STRENGTH AND COURAGE, TAKE THOU A WHITE 
LEAF FROM OFF THE WHITE STONE AND LOOK AT IT 
THROUGH THE GREAT EYE; BUT ATTEMPT NOT THE VENTURE 
UNLESS THY HEART BE PURE AND THY COURAGE GREAT, 

FOR WOE SITS WAITING THE CRAVEN-HEARTED. 

Long the Giant’s Pillow had stood in the great woods at the foot 
of the Black Mountain, and many famous knights rode gallantly up 
and read the inscription cut in the bronze tablet; but, when they 
saw the white leaf through the stone eye, some laughed and rode 
carelessly on; others dug their spurs angrily into their horses’ flanks 
and dashed haughtily away as though the venture was unworthy the 
dignity of their manhood; and yet others, but these were few, grew 
sad and rode pensively down the road whence they came. And not 
one, prince or knight or peasant, of all who looked through the stone 
eye, cared to undertake the venture. 

Now within the kingdom wherein was the Black Mountain lived 
a powerful prince in a great castle surrounded by seven high walls. 


CXXII 


The Giant's Pillow 


The great castle and the seven walls were built of black marble, and 
because of this the prince was called the Black Prince. Once each 
month the Black Prince rode out through the seven great gates at the 
head of his gallant knights; and when he returned many a brave 
knight came not back, and others could scarce sit their horses’ backs, 
so grievous were their wounds, and the armor of all was hacked and 
soiled; but the booty was always great, and the long hall of the 
castle rang with laughter and shouts for days after each foray. 

One morning the Black Prince arose early. “What, ho!” he 
shouted. “Bring hither my armor and great sword and battle-axe, 
and summon my knights to the Long Hall. This day we ride forth 
to the foray. Arm! arm! for a great fight!” and, with the loud clang 
of his armor as he threw it on his huge frame, the Black Prince 
strode into the long hall. A great shout greeted him. All his 
gallant knights were there. 

“To the fight! Lead us to the fight!” and shield crashed against 
shield, and sword blades leaped into the air. 

“Aye, aye!” cried the Black Prince; “this day we ride to the 
valley beyond the Black Mountain, where there be brave men and 
rich booty. Let all who fear death tarry within the seven walls. 
What, ho! gallant knights, mount for the great fight!” and the 
Black Prince walked toward the door in the far end of the hall that 
opened into the spacious court, where the war horses stood pawing 


CXXIII 


The Giant’s Pillow 

the earth. At the door a tall youth pressed forward and caught him 
by the hand. 

“Father,” cried the youth, “ride not forth to battle to-day. 
Spare the blood of thy followers. Make not the widowed and the 

fatherless to cry out against thee. Father ” 

The mailed hand of the Black Prince fell violently on the mouth 
of the youth. “Silence!” he said sternly, “and get thee gone to the 
woman’s apartment to weave shrouds for the dead I bring back with 
me, and to prepare salve for the wounds thou wilt never have the 
courage to give or to' take. Go! before I forget that my blood flows 
through thy craven-hearted body.” 

The youth threw his head back proudly and looked the Black 
Prince straight in the eye. “Father,” he said, “it is not death nor 
fighting that I fear. This thou knowest. It is the cruel wrong of 
this needless murder and rapine ; the bringing of death and woe where 

there was life and joy. This ” 

“Silence!” and the Black Prince lifted his hand threateningly, 
but he did not strike. Then with a cruel smile on his stem features 
he turned to a servant. “Go to the royal armory,” he commanded, 
“and bring hither the armor and arms of Prince Noble. My gallant 
son rideth with us to the foray. Now,” and he looked fiercely at 
the youth, “this day shall it be seen whether thy father’s blood flows 
in thy veins, or whether thou art craven to the core. Thou ridest 


CXXJV 


to the fight at my right hand; and if thou 
falterest when the shock of battle comes, then 
with my own hand I will strike thee dead, for 
better a dead son than a live coward to call 
thee father. Keep thy tongue still and put 
thy armor on quickly,” and the stem father 
stood silent until the son had girded on his 
heavy armor. Then the seven great gates 
of the seven high walls swung open, and with 
nodding plumes and glittering armor the 
long array of knights wound down the rocky 
road leading from the castle. 

When the cavalcade came to the foot of 
the Black Mountain, where was the great 
tree and the Giant’s Pillow with the shaft of 
black marble topped by the stone eye, the 
Black Prince halted and, turning to his son, 
said scornfully: “Here be a venture fitted 
to the gallantry of thy woman’s heart. Thou 
hast ever prated of mercy to the poor, the old > 
and the afflicted. Here be a test of all thy 
fine words. If thou wilt, thou canst ride to 
the succor of the forlorn damsel of the stone 
eye. I and all my brave knights yield this 
venture to thee.” 



The Giant’s PilloW 

“When the old and the weak call for succor it is the duty of the 
young and the strong to harken,” answered Prince Noble. 

Then dismounting, he took a white leaf from the white stone 
and, regardless of the jeers and laughter of the Black Prince and his 
knights, went to the stone eye and looked at the leaf through it. As 
he looked, his face grew sad and a great pity shone in his eyes ; but 
when he turned from looking, his face and eyes were a-blaze with 
indignation. 

“Father, right gladly I undertake this venture,” he cried. “And 
shame on thee and all knights who have suffered the old and the 
feeble to call vainly for succor. Father, I have thy permission; 
this venture is mine ; ride on ; I remain. ’ ’ 

The face of the Black Prince flushed with anger, but, controlling 
himself, he bowed his plumed head mockingly. “Homage, men, 
give homage,” he called, “to this brave knight who rusheth gallantly 
to the succor of old white-haired women ; but trembleth at the sight 
of the drawn sword or the point of a couched lance. Aye, he is a son 
for a warrior to be proud of!” and with a bitter laugh and thus 
scorning his son, the stern father bowed low a second time and rode 
on. And each knight rode up and bowed low to Prince Noble, 
and said: “Homage to the brave knight,” and thus having mocked 
him, rode after the Black Prince. 


CXXVI 


The Giant's Pillow 


Prince Noble stood silent and resolute, answering not a word to 
all the taunts, but when the last knight had gone he said sadly: 
“These be brave men but cruel and without tenderness. God 
grant that kindliness may yet grow in their hearts. Alas, my father, 
I may never see thee more!’’ Then he knelt and prayed; and when 
he stood up there was peace on his face. 

“I am ready,’’ he said; and again he looked through the stone 
eye, and once again the marvelous vision of the leaf appeared, and 
he saw in a comer of a dark and noisome dungeon an old white- 
haired woman lying On a bed of straw; and the face of the woman 
was wrinkled and haggard with age and pain. Even as he looked, 
the woman sat up and fixed her eyes imploringly on his face, and he 
saw that great chains bound her to the floor of the dungeon. Then 
a great whirling black smoke rolled through the dungeon, and on the 
black smoke in letters of fire shone these words : 

PLUCK A BLACK LEAF OFF THE GREAT TREE, AND WHEN 
THE MOONLIGHT FALLS ON THE TOP OF THE MARBLE SHAFT 
LOOK AT THE BLACK LEAF THROUGH THE STONE EYE; BUT 
KNOW THAT HE WHO PLUCKETH A BLACK LEAF MUST FOLLOW 
THE VENTURE TO THE END, OR DIE. BEWARE. 

THESE ARE THE WORDS OF THE WHITE KING. 

And the vision vanished from the white leaf. 

Prince Noble sat down at the foot of the marble shaft and waited 
until the moon rose in the east, and when its rays first fell on top 


CXXVII 


The Giant's Pillow 


of the marble shaft he went to the great tree and pulled a black 
leaf off a branch. 

“For the sake of the old and feeble, I, who am young and strong, 
undertake this venture, fearing not death, so be it I can bring succor 
to the distressed, ’ ’ he said, and placing a black leaf back of the stone 
eye he looked through the eye at it. 

The leaf appeared transparent, and he saw the near end of the 
great white stone called the Giant’s Pillow, and close to the bottom 
of the end he saw a small keyhole, and under the keyhole he read 
these words : 


TAKE THE BRONZE KEY AND OPEN. 

Prince Noble bethought himself of the small bronze key that hung 
under the stone eye, and he reached forth a hand and took the key; 
and went to the end of the Giant’s Pillow and placed the key in the 
hole and turned the lock; and a great door swung silently open, 
showing a lofty marble hall dimly lighted by swinging red lamps. 
The young prince stepped quickly into this hall, and the great door 
swung shut behind him, and he heard massive bolts and bars shoot 
swiftly into place. 

In the center of the hall stood a black ebony table, and on the 


CXXVIII 


The Giant's Pillcto 


table lay a white cloak, and on the white cloak was a parchment 
whereon these words were written : 

LEAVE THY SWORD AND LANCE AND ARMOR HERE. 

WEAR THE WHITE CLOAK. 

BE MERCIFUL AND FEAR NOT. 

THE WHITE KING. 

At the far end of the hall was a great glistening door of wrought 
gold and silver, and before this door walked back and forth an 
enormous yellow lion w T ith head down and uttering deep angry 
growls. 

Prince Noble, when he came to this table, paused a moment and 
read the words written on the parchment. Then he laid his sword 
and long lance and heavy armor on the table ; and, throwing the 
w T hite cloak over his shoulders, walked, all unarmed, down the long 
hall toward the great door where the yellow lion kept guard. When 
midway from the table to the door he heard the piteous mewings of a 
cat; and looking down saw a milk-white kitten crawling painfully 
toward him, the blood dropping from a wound in the side. 

“Alas, poor creature, thou hast all unwittingly proven the sharp- 
ness of the lion’s teeth. I will not leave thee. Thou shalt go with 
me until I can find a place of safety for thee,” and the prince stooped 
and lifted the kitten tenderly up in his arms. 

The lion, lashing his tail from side to side and uttering 


CXXIX 


The Giant's Pillow 


deep-mouthed growls, now crouched directly in front of the door and 
fixed his eyes hungrily on the prince, who, holding the little white 
kitten close in his arms, walked fearlessly toward him. Suddenly, 
with a roar that shook the walls of the hall, the huge beast sprang 
into the air straight toward Prince Noble. 

Then a marvelous thing happened. 

At the moment of the spring of the lion the little white kitten 
leaped from the arms of Prince Noble and met the lion in mid-air. 
A yellow smoke rolled up to the ceiling, and the white kitten fell 
lightly to the floor all unharmed, and ran and curled itself upon a 
silken cushion, and there lay purring contentedly. 

Prince Noble, marveling greatly, strode quickly to the great door 
of wrought gold and silver and threw it open. 

A loud burst of joyous music greeted him, and he was surrounded 
by beautiful youths and maidens. 

“Come and dance with us! Come and sing with us! Come and 
play with us! This is the Garden of Ten Thousand Delights!” they 
shouted as they circled around him. 

Everywhere was happiness and light and beauty and music. 

Prince Noble drew a long breath of wonder and astonishment. 
He loved the beautiful, and his heart sang in tune to the joys around 
him; yet he said: “I can not tarry. I bring succor to distress,” 
and he walked on still surrounded by the dancing youths and maids. 


cxxx 



THE GIRL RAPPED SHARPLY THREE TIMES, AND AT THE THIRD RAP, WITH A GREAT GROANING, 

THE DOOR SWUNG OPEN. 



The Giant’s Pillow 


Suddenly, from the front, he heard a cry of pain and the wail of a 
child; and he saw one of the beautiful youths cruelly strike a ragged, 
dirty little girl. “Away, away thou ragged brat!” cried the youth, 
again striking the child and pushing her roughly. 

“Harm not the poor and helpless!” and Prince Noble sprang 
quickly to the side of the little girl, and threw a protecting arm 
around her. 

The child looked up gratefully into his face and said: “I thank 
thee. Come thou with me. I will show thee the road thou art seek- 
ing,” and she took Prince Noble by the hand and led him to a great 
door in a solid wall of stone. On. the door was a white mark, and on 
this white mark the girl rapped sharply three times, and at the third 
rap, with a great groaning, the door swung open. 

A flock of bats darted out, there was a rush of foul air, and all was 
blackness within; nevertheless Prince Noble stepped quickly through 
the stone doorway, and the great door swung shut behind him. In 
the far comer of this stone dungeon he saw a candle burning dimly, 
and on a bed of straw lay an old white-haired woman, bound with 
great chains to the stone floor. As he looked the woman moaned 
piteously. 

“I bring rescue!” and Prince Noble ran quickly to the old woman, 
and stooped to lift her up in his arms ; but, even as his arms closed 
around her, the woman sprang quickly to her feet, transformed into a 


CXXXII 


The Giant 3 s Pillow 


beautiful maiden. There was a blinding flash of light, a weird sound 
like the swishings of thousands of great wings; and Prince Noble 
stood in the great throne-room of a palace, and by his side stood 
the beautiful maiden holding in her hand a jeweled crown, and all 
around the room were noble lords and ladies, and gallant knights 
and their esquires. 

Then from the golden dome of the great throne-room floated 
down a golden smoke, and the smoke twisted and curved itself into 
great golden letters, which read : 

HOMAGE, DO HOMAGE TO THE NOBLE KNIGHT, WHO OF ALL 
KNIGHTS HATH PROVEN HIMSELF MOST WORTHY TO RULE 
OVER THE DOMINIONS OF THE WHITE KING. AND BE IT KNOWN 
THAT I, THE WHITE KING, DO BESTOW UPON PRINCE NOBLE 
THIS CASTLE AND ALL THAT IN IT IS J AND THAT I, THE WHITE 
KING, DO MAKE HIM RULER OVER ALL THE COUNTRY FOR AN 
HUNDRED LEAGUES ROUND ABOUT THE CASTLE; AND THAT I, 

THE WHITE KING, DO COMMAND ALL WITHIN THIS DOMAIN 
TO RENDER UNTO HIM TRUE HOMAGE AND OBEDIENCE. 

SIGNED, THE WHITE KING. 

“And I crown thee the bravest and noblest knight that ever 
lived,” said the beautiful maiden, placing the jeweled crown upon 
Prince Noble’s head. 


CXXXIII 


The Giant's VilloW 

Thus it came about that the gentle and brave Prince Noble became 
king over all that country; and all his subjects were compelled 
henceforth to live honestly and to do right ; and the cruel forays of 
his stem father, the Black Prince, were forever stopped. 





N\[ EAR a great forest lived a hard-working German wood- 
[ cutter with his wife and only child, a little golden- 
haired gill named Gretchen. 

While Gretchen was yet a little girl only seven years old 
she had a very queer adventure — I will call it — for Gretchen, 
though now a woman grown, still insists that what I am 
about to narrate did really and truly happen to her. 

One day she went with her father to the neighboring village 
where he was accustomed to go once or twice a month to 
procure the few things which necessity compelled him to buy. 
During this journey Gretchen saw, for the first time, a swing 
with two little girls in it floating through the air for all the 
world like birds. She thought the swing the most wonderful 
thing she had ever seen. “Papa, papa, you must make me 
one just as soon as we get home! I want to be a bird, too!” 
she exclaimed joyfully. 

The poor, hard-working man knew he had not the means 
with which to grant his little daughter’s request, and so he 
answered sadly, as he laid his great rough hand caressingly 


CXXXV 


The Magic Swing 


on her golden curls: “No; my little girl must be content without 
a swing. Rich people have a great deal of money and can get their 
little children whatever they wish ; but I have none and cannot get 
my good little Gretchen even the ropes with which to make her a 
swing. But never mind, when the good fairy smiles upon us you 
shall have a swing. ” 

This answer grieved Gretchen very much, she wanted the swing 
so badly; but she bravely kept her tears back, though she had to 
swallow many a hard lump in her throat to do so. She did not wish 
to pain her father by showing him how much she cared for what he 
had told her was beyond his means to get. She resolved to think no 
more about the swing; but good resolutions are not always kept 
even by grown people, and Gretchen found it quite impossible to 
keep hers. The moment she came in sight of her home she had to 
run to her mother and tell her all about the wonderful swing, and how 
badly she wanted one, and how her father was too poor even to buy the 
ropes with which to make her one; and then, bursting into tears, the 
tired little girl hid her head on her mother’s bosom and sobbed as if 
her heart would break. 

“Never mind, never mind, my daughter,” said the mother, 
“perhaps some good fairy will bring my little girl a swing. Who 
knows ? Go to sleep and think no more about it. ” 

Gretchen, who was very tired from her journey, was not 


CXXXVI 


The fllagic Swing 

long in sobbing herself to sleep in that dearest and softest of all 
cradles — mother’s arms. 

“Poor child,” said the mother, as she laid her down in her little 
bed, “how I do wish we might get you a swing.” 

The next afternoon Gretchen, as was her custom when the weather 
was warm and sunny, took her dolls — only sticks of wood dressed in 
rags, but dearly loved by their little mistress — and ran down to play 
beneath the shade of two very high and sturdy oak trees, which grew 
on the banks of a little brook running near her home. This was her 
favorite playground. 

She seated herself beneath the trees, and as she looked up at the 
great branches swaying so high above her she thought: “What a 
fine place this would be for a swing. How I do wish I could have 
one right here!” Soon she was thinking so earnestly about one and 
wanting one so badly that she even allowed her favorite wooden 
doll to fall from her lap and roll unheeded into the brook. Presently 
great tears began to fall from her eyes and, clasping her little hands 
together, she exclaimed aloud : “Oh, I do so wish I had a swing ! ’ ’ 

The moment the words were uttered she heard a merry little 
silvery laugh: “Ha! ha! ha!” right in front of her, and on looking 
down she saw standing before her the queerest little old woman 
imaginable. 

Gretchen was too much astonished even to be frightened, and I 


cxxxvu 



am sure you will not wonder at her astonishment when I tell you how 
queer the little old woman looked. She was only about three feet 
tall and quite fat, but very spry and limber. She had on her head a 
high green hat, from the peak of which hung a cluster of bluebells, 
and about which were entwined wreaths of natural flowers. Her 
hair was as white and silky as thistle-down, and, falling unconfined, 
reached quite to the ground. Her eyes sparkled from beneath her 
queer green hat like dewdrops in the morning’s sunlight. Her face 
Gretchen thought the merriest, sweetest, kindest-looking old face 
she had ever seen. “Just such a face as I should like to have my 
grandma have,” she said afterward. 

Her dress ? 

I know you have never seen or dreamt of anything like it, so I 


CXXXVIII 


The Magic Swing 

shall have to tell you how it looked. In shape and color it had the 
appearance of a huge inverted lily of a wondrously soft and fine 
texture, embroidered with beautiful flowers which looked as natural 
and as fresh as though growing in their -native soil. No wonder 
Gretchen thought it the most marvelous and beautiful dress she had 
ever seen, for really it was very becoming to the queer little old 
woman. On her feet were beautiful “lady’s-slippers,” looking as 
fresh and as life-like as though hanging from their parent stems, only 
a little larger and much more richly colored. When she spoke she 
would nod her head and cause her high green hat to bob up and down 
in a very amusing way. 

“Ha, ha, ha! and so my little girl would like to have a swing!” 
laughed the little old woman, nodding her head merrily and looking 
up into Gretchen ’s great round blue eyes, very big and very round 
now with wonder. “A swing you want, and why should not my 
pretty little girl have a swing as well as the rich man’s proud daugh- 
ters? You are a much better and prettier girl and one after my own 
heart, too. A swing you want, and a swing you shall have, and Oh! 
such a swing! Look!” and pointing upward, the old woman nodded 
her head and laughed so merrily and seemed so happy that Gretchen 
had to laugh too. But the moment she looked up she stopped her 
laughing, sprang to her feet in pleased astonishment, clapped her 
little hands together, and shouted : “ Oh ! Oh ! Oh ! a swing ! a swing ! ’ ’ 


CXXXIX 


The Magic Swing 

And sure enough, for just as the old woman pointed upward there fell 
down from a great limb of one of the high trees, a wonderful swing 
with ropes made of the finest of grasses woven so very tightly and 
evenly together that they had the appearance of being made of the 
finest of silk, with a wonderful chair for a seat, and a soft mat of grass 
for a cushion. 

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” cried Gretchen, “and can I swing in that beau- 
tiful swing?” 

“That you can, my pretty little golden-haired lady,” laughed the 
merry old woman. “Jump in,” and catching her up in her arms she 
tossed her into the swing. 

Gretchen sank back into its roomy seat with a sigh of joy, and 
watched the queer little woman with wondering eyes as she stepped 
a little to one side of the swing, and, waving her hands to and fro, 
began to sing to a wild, merry tune : 

“Ha, ha, ha, free as a lark, 

Up, up, up we go; 

Ha, ha, ha, swift as a shark, 

Down, down, down we go. 

Up, up, up, and down, down, down, 

Now to the sky and now to the ground; 

Through the air in our beautiful swing, 

Like a bird on a tireless wing, 

Oh, Oh, Oh, and ho, ho, ho, 

Merrily, merrily go.” 


CXL 


The Magic Swing 


Every time the old woman swung her hands, strange to say, the 
swing swung too. Now up and now down, graceful as a bird, it shot 
through the air. 

Gretchen was supremely happy. Her seat was so comfortable, 
the movement of the swing so easy and graceful, and the sensation 
of floating through the air so new and pleasant, that she did not feel 
a bit frightened. The wind whistled unheeded through her hair, the 
fantastic old woman now darted before her eyes, now vanished from 
sight, while the wild song of : 

“Oh, Oh, Oh, and ho, ho, ho, 

Merrily, merrily go,” 

rang in her ears as she shot swiftly back and forth. She began to 
wonder if the queer old woman was the good fairy of whom her 
mother had spoken, and if she would let her keep the swing always. 
“Oh, ” she thought, “if she would I should be so happy, and papa need 
not care because he did not have to buy the ropes.” She had just 
made up her mind to ask the old woman all about it just as soon as 
the swing stopped, if it ever should stop — she almost hoped that it 
would not — when — 

“Gretchen, Gretchen, where are you?” she heard her mother 
calling. “The sun has set, your father has come home, and supper 
is ready. Come into the house this minute. ” 

Then before Gretchen had time to wink the swing stopped, the 


CXLI 


The Magic Swing 

chair vanished out from under her, the ropes shot up out of sight in 
the high tree top, the queer little old woman vanished from before 
her eyes like a whiff of smoke in thin air, and she found herself sitting 
on a little mound of grass underneath the high trees, a very much 
astonished little girl. 

The moment she recovered from her surprise she sprang to her feet 
and ran quickly to the house, crying out as soon as she reached her 
mother : “O mother, mother! why did you call me and frighten away 
that queer little old woman who was giving me, Oh, such a nice swing?” 

The mother looked at her little girl in surprise and asked her what 
she meant. Then Gretchen told her mother all about her strange 
adventure with the queer little old woman. 

The mother laughed and, patting her on the head, said: “My 
little girl has been dreaming.” But Gretchen could never be made 
to believe it was only a dream ; and even now, though she is a woman 
grown, and has little children of her own, she still insists that she 
did really and truly see the queer little old woman and swing in 
her magic swing. 



A NEW YEAR’S EVE STORY 

N the long ago there lived in a village a little girl by 
the name of Huldah. Her father was a poor day- 
laborer, who had to depend on yesterday’s work for 
.* to-day’s food. One day the father came home ill; then 
Want came in and sat down by the sick man’s bed-side. 
The mother did all she could do to drive Want away; but if she 
forced him out at the door, he came in at the window. At last the 
mother, too, fell ill, and then Despair took his seat by the side of Want. 

Want and Despair —these were strong foes for a weak girl to fight; 
but Huldah had courage and love, powerful weapons even in a 
child’s hands; and, for a time, she managed to secure food and other 
actual necessities for her parents, though she herself often went 
hungry. But at length there came a morning when there was not 


CXLIII 


The Gift of the Kind Heart 

a mouthful of food in the house ; and, for the first time, Despair crept 
near to little Huldah. She thought not of herself, though she had 
not tasted food for nearly twenty-four hours; she only thought of 
her sick father and mother. She knew that they must have food soon 
or perish. 

It was a cold wintry day, the last of the old year, but Huldah 
wrapped her mother’s tattered .shawl around her head and shoul- 
ders; and, after kissing her father and mother good-bye, telling them 
she would bring a bowl of warm broth back with her, she went out to 
try to earn a few pennies with which to purchase food. The wind 
blew through the holes in her shawl and thin clothing, and drove the 
snow with blinding force against her face. All day long, through 
the cold and the storm, she wandered from house to house, growing 
colder and weaker as the day grew older ; yet finding no work. 

Night came and compelled her to turn her steps homeward, still 
empty-handed. She was so weary from the toils of the day, so weak 
from the lack of food, and so numb with the cold, that she could 
hardly place one foot in front of the other, and staggered along 
through the snow like a drunken man. 

Suddenly, from out the darkness and storm to the front of her, 
rushed a giant form clothed in a great fur coat. Huldah gave a 
little frightened cry, jumped to one side, slipped on a stone, and fell 
almost under the feet of the hurrying man. 


CXLIV 


The Gift of the Kind Heart 


“Heigh, ho! What have we here?” and a strong hand quickly 
caught the fallen girl and set her on her feet. “A mite of a lassie! 
And alone in the cold and the storm!” The blue eyes looked search- 
ingly into Huldah’s face, while the great bear-skin gloves on the 
hands gently brushed the snow off the tattered shawl and thin 
clothes. 

Evidently the man was in a great hurry; but he stopped long 
enough to pull off one of the gloves, thrust his hand into his pocket, 
and place a silver coin in the girl’s hand. Then with a loud, “Good- 
bye, little one,” he rushed on, and vanished in the darkness and 
falling snow. 

Huldah stared at the coin in her hand, her pale face flushed — she 
had never accepted charity, and she started after the vanishing man. 
But before she had taken five steps he had gone from her sight. 
She could not return the money. It was hers. Again her face 
flushed and her eyes sparkled, and she ran as fast as her weary feet 
could carry her to a small bakery, which was but three rods from her 
own home. After all, the father and mother would have the warm 
broth ! 

The baker took the money, looked at Huldah, and then poured 
into a large bowl a double portion of broth. He had a little girl of 
his own. 

Huldah gripped the bowl in both hands and hurried away. How 


CXLV 


The Gift of the Kind Heart 

delicious the broth smelled! How comfortable the warm sides of 
the bowl felt to her cold hands! She was quite sure the hot broth 
would make her father and mother well again — 

“Oh!” 

The bowl of precious broth nearly fell from Huldah’s hands in her 
fright. Right down in front of her a poor man had fallen, headlong, 
and lay on the ground moaning. He was very old. A few thin locks 
of white hair hung from under his worn fur cap, and his white 
wrinkled face was drawn and quivering with pain. His clothes were 
old and ragged. He had no shoes, but around his feet were tied bags 
of sheepskin. 

“For the love of Heaven, give me food and fire!” called the old 
man. 

The cry went straight to Huldah’s heart. She stopped and 
approached him timidly, until she saw the pitiful condition he was in ; 
then her compassion drqve out all her fear. 

He was so weak he could only lift his thin wrinkled hands toward 
Huldah, and repeat : “For the love of Heaven, give me food and fire !” 
His pinched face and sunken eyes told her that he was starving. She 
was wise enough to know that the hunger and cold would soon kill, 
unless food and fire drove them away. She had the food in her 
hands, and there was fire at her home. But her father and mother! 
Alas, they, too, were hungry! Yet the need of the old man was even 


CXLVI 


The Gift of the Kind Heart 



greater than their need. She held his life in the bowl in her hand, 
and he so old and helpless ! 

There were tears in Huldah’s eyes as she knelt by the side of the 
old man and gave him the broth. He ate it greedily ; ate until every 
drop was gone. 

“Now for the fire!” she said cheerily, and helped him to his feet. 

The warm broth had given him new vigor, yet he leaned so 
heavily on Huldah that the little strength remaining to her was taxed 
to its uttermost ; but at last her hand was on the latch to the door 
of her humble home, and she led him in. 

“He was starving, father, and I gave him the bowl of broth. He 
was freezing, mother, and I brought him to our fire. ” 

The sick father and mother smiled. “Thank 
God for giving our daughter the gift of the kind 
heart,” they said. “Brighten up the fire, and 
make comfortable the old man. God will take care 
of us.” 

Huldah heaped wood on the glowing coals, and 
soon the fire was blazing merrily. She made the 
old man as comfortable as possible, and 
to her mother she lay down wearily by her side 


The Gift of the Kind Heart 


and, throwing her arms around her neck, murmured, “ Mother, 
mother, I am so tired and hungry!” 

The mother kissed her. “Let us pray, my daughter, for the old 
man, who hath so much more need of the kind God’s succor than we. ” 

When the prayer was finished the old man rose slowly to his feet. 
Huldah watched him with wondering eyes. His form swelled into 
the fullness of health. He shook the rags from him, and stood in 
the bright firelight, a towering giant in a great fur coat. Huldah at 
once recognized the man she had met in the storm and who had given 
her the silver coin. The blue eyes looked into her face ; and, as they 
looked, the countenance became radiant, the great fur coat changed 
into a robe of the purest white, and a light filled the room of so 
dazzling a brightness that all were compelled to close their eyes. 

When they opened their eyes again the glorious form had vanished. 

Then the parents knew that an angel had visited their humble 
home. 

On the spot where the old man had reposed stood the two bags 
of sheepskin, which he had wrapped around his feet. Huldah 
approached reverently, and attempted to lift them. The bags broke 
open, and a stream of gold coins fell on the floor. 

“God is good. Thank God for giving our little daughter the gift 
of the kind heart, ” softly prayed the awed father and mother. 

Then Want and Despair went out of the door with the old Year 
and never came back any more, for Joy and Peace came in with the 
New Year. 





GREAT many years ago an orphan boy by the name of Karl 
was bound out to Big Herman, a butcher. Big Herman was a 
cruel man, and gave the boy more blows than he did food and 
clothing. This did not please Karl ; for he had no use for blows, while 
he did sadly need food and clothes. At last he determined to see if 
the world had not more food and less blows than did Big Herman, and 
so one night he ran away. 

After an hour’s journey he came to a high hill and sat down 


CXLIX 


Old M an W hiteloclts 


underneath a large tree which grew on its top. The moon now 
hung almost directly above his head, and its rays, shooting through 
the foliage of the tree above and falling in spots of light upon the 
carpet of grass beneath, seemed, in their ever-changing brightness, to 
dance hither and thither like merry little fairies. Indeed, as Karl 
looked at them, he wondered if they might not be fairies — moonbeam 
fairies dancing in the checkered shade. Not a strange thought for a 
boy in those days when the world was young. 

As he lay idly dreaming over this pleasant fancy, he began to nod 
and would have soon fallen sound asleep had he not, very suddenly, 
heard a shrill voice pipe in his ear : ‘ ‘ Hullo , mortal ! W ake up ! ” 

Karl opened his eyes with a start and saw, not a foot from his face 
and floating serenely in the air, the strangest little old man imagin- 
able. He was not over a thumb’s nail in length, with beard and hair 
white as drifted snow falling down his breast and back and reaching 
to his knees. His face was the color of new-drawn milk, and the 
merry little eyes, which looked boldly into Karl’s, were as white as 
the purest of ivory, save the pupils which sparkled like diamonds. 
From his shoulders to his feet fell a robe soft and white as eider- 
down, and bound about the waist by a girdle seemingly woven out of 
beams of moonlight. In his right hand he held a golden wand, from 
the end of which flashed a star-shaped diamond. He had no wings, 
but floated through the air upborne by some unseen power emanating 


CL 


Old Man Whitelocks 

from the golden wand, for whither he wished to go thither he pointed 
the wand. 

Karl at first was too much astonished to know what to do or say ; 
but the little old man did not seem to be one whit put out, and again 
called out shrilly: “Ho, there, Mortal! I am Old Man Whitelocks, 
and I come from the kingdom of Day and Night to make this 
proposition to thee : My people would behold a mortal, just as God 
made him, save only in bigness. If thou wilt consent, I will make 
thee in size like unto myself and then we will away to where they 
dance ’neath the greenwood tree. You can behold the fairies, and 
my people can look upon a mortal. Thus the benefit will be mutual. 
Wilt thou go, Mortal ? I promise thee that no harm shall befall thee, ’ ’ 
and with a graceful inclination of his white head he awaited the 
wondering boy’s reply. 

Karl knew not what to answer. The request came so suddenly and 
was so strange. To be as small as the queer little old man! He 
looked at him sharply. “Ah, that would indeed be fine,’’ thought 
he, “and then, mayhap, I can see the fairies dance. ‘A brave man 
fears no danger, ’ ” — one of the sayings of his father came into his head. 
— “Old Man Whitelocks, if thou canst make me that small, do so; 
I am willing,” he replied. 


CLI 



Instantly the old man darted forward and 
touched his brow with the diamond point of 
his golden wand. For a moment Karl’s head 
swam and rivers of fire seemed surging 
through his veins. He could hear his bones 
snap and could feel them contract until he 
began to think there would soon be nothing 
left of him. He felt like one falling from a 
great height, grew sick and dizzy, and with a 
shudder closed his eyes. But hardly were 
they shut when all these strange sensations 
left him, and he felt as though nothing at all 
had happened. 

“Oh, ho! and so Old Man Whitelocks 
failed after all!” thought he; for he felt no 
smaller now than he had been- before the old 
man touched his forehead. 

He opened his eyes and for a moment 
stared around speechless with amazement. 
At first he thought himself in another world, 
everything looked so different. He stood in 
an immense forest of strange trees, over- 
shadowed by what he took to be a great 
mountain, the top of which he could not even 
see. Directly in front of him stood the 


Old Man W hiteloclts 


odd-looking, white-haired, white-bearded, white-eyed, white-dressed 
old man, now as large as Karl himself. Though a brave lad, Karl’s 
heart gave great thumps of alarm when he found himself in this 
strange place and company. 

The old man noticed his fright and, smiling, said reassuringly: 
“Fear not, Mortal; not a hair of thy head shall be harmed.’’ His 
voice was sweet and his look was as gentle as that of a loving father’s. 

The pleasant words and the kindly face of the old man at once 
restored to Karl his courage. “Oh, what has happened? Where 
am I? Who are you, and into what strange land have I fallen?” he 
inquired breathlessly. 

Again the old man smiled as he replied: “Thy memory is short, 
O Mortal. Thou art standing where but now thou stoodst, a great 
giant towering high above me. The lofty forest which thine eyes 
behold, was then but the grass underneath thy feet, and yon great 
tree which thou dost fancy a mountain, but the oak under which 
thou wert reclining. I am he called Old Man Whitelocks, who 
touched thy forehead with the diamond point of his wand, and in the 
twinkle of an eye made thee in size like unto us, the smallest of all 
fairies. A moment ago I did not exceed the length of thy thumb nail, 
but now thou hast grown as small a I am. That is why I and all 
things else look so strange. But we must away if thou wouldst see 
the merry fairies dance. Mount the steed by thy side and follow 


CLIII 


Old Man W hitelocks 


me.” The old man turned, pointed his wand upward and began to 
rise swiftly toward the stars. 

At the same time Karl heard the rush of huge wings and a great 
bird lit by his side. This strange steed was a gorgeously colored 
humming-bird. Karl at once mounted and was soon speeding along 
abreast of the old man. 

Up, up they flew, until the forest of grass was left far below. 
Away in the distance Karl saw a bright light. The old man sped 
straight toward this light and in a moment, so swiftly were they 
borne through the air, they were over it and the next they had 
plunged down into the midst of its bright' radiance. The instant the 
bird reached the ground Karl leaped lightly from its back and 
looked with wondering eyes upon the scene around him. 

On every side, as far as his sight could reach, stood a vast multi- 
tude of tall, dark-hued men with great glossy black wings falling 
gracefully between their shoulders and with eyes that had the dark- 
ness and sparkle of midnight in them. Their long hair was of the 
color of the raven’s plumage and floated in curls between their sable 
wings. Their dress, so far as Karl could see, looked, save in color, 
like that of the gay courtiers whom he had once seen when the King 
and the Queen rode through the village. The dress of these gallants 
had been of bright and varied hues; whereas that of these queer 
beings was of but one color, black, with beautiful little diamonds 


CLIV 


Old J\ian Whitelocks 


sparkling here and there like so many stars shining in a dark sky. 
Altogether they appeared like fine, handsome gentlemen and, not- 
withstanding their gloomy colorings, looked very merry and happy. 

By the side of each youth stood a beautiful maiden. These little 
ladies Karl thought the prettiest and merriest maids he had ever 
seen. They were a direct contrast to the dark-hued men standing 
by their sides. From beneath wreaths of snowy white roses floated 
their long hair in flossy waves of white. In their eyes hung the 
coloring of the sky and from their faces shone the beauty and the 
brightness of a day in June. Not a spot sullied the glistening white- 
ness of their wings. A robe-like garment, which looked as if it had 
been woven out of flakes of snow and then sprinkled over with hoar 
frost, clung in graceful folds around their little forms On their 
feet sparkled little golden slippers, which somehow were made as soft 
and pliable as chamois skin. 

Above this great throng of fairy men and women hung, suspended 
from golden poles, innumerable lights of so great a brightness as 
to make daylight seem like moonlight in comparison. 

Karl had never been as embarrassed before in all his life, for it 
seemed to him as if every eye in all that countless assemblage was 
fixed on him, and that every tongue was uttering exclamations of 
surprise and wonder regarding his strange appearance. But no sort 
of embarrassment could long withstand the onset of these jolly 


CLV 


Old JAan Whitelocl^s 


fairies. They crowded around Karl like so many happy children; 
and he soon found himself with all of his embarrassment gone, 
joking and laughing with them as merrily as if he had known them 
all his life. 

During this time Old Man Whitelocks stood watching the excited 
throng out of his kindly white eyes. At last he raised his wand. 
Instantly all was still. “My children,” he said, “time flieth. Sound 
the music. Let the merry dance begin. We will show this mortal 
what a glad, blithesome life we fairies live.” 

As the old man spoke a concord of sweet sounds burst upon Karl’s 
ears. Music so sweet, so enrapturing, he had never heard. It 
thrilled through every nerve. He not only heard but felt it all over 
him. At first he could not see the musicians, nor could he tell 
whence the sweet sounds came, for they seemed to float in the air 
round about him, ever coming nearer and sounding louder. Suddenly 
there passed before his astonished eyes, upborne by a thousand 
golden-winged butterflies, a boat encrusted over with sparkling gems 
of every hue and kind, and more beautiful than the fondest fancies of 
man have pictured. Within this wondrous ship a hundred musicians 
played upon golden instruments, the like of which no mortal hand 
or lips ever touched. Just above the glowing lights, and where their 
bright radiance shone full upon its glittering sides, floated this 
beautiful barge in circles ever growing smaller, until it hung for a 


CLVI 



AT EACH PEAL EVERY FAIRY WOULD BOUND LIGHTLY INTO THE AIR AND THE SABLE WINGS 
AND THE WHITE WINGS WOULD FORM IN ALTERNATING LINES. 


Old Man Whitelocks 


moment directly over Old Man Whitelocks. Then the great boat 
swung round, and again, in curves now ever growing larger, was 
borne above the merry throng of fairies back until the outer confines 
were reached. Thus round and round, back and forth, over the 
heads of all, floated this grand orchestra. 

When Karl took his eyes from the boat and again looked 
around him he found the scene below, if possible, even more grand 
and wonderful than the one above. All the fairies, with the ex- 
ception of Old Man Whitelocks, who still stood by his side, were 
whirling about in the mazes of a most intricate and marvelous dance. 

Karl was where he could overlook the vast multitude of dancers. 
They seemed in number like the sands of the ocean. Every eye, 
every limb, every motion, spoke of their unalloyed enjoyment. How 
their bright eyes flashed and their jewels sparkled in the wonderful 
light! At regular intervals the music would burst forth in loud, 
triumphant strains. At each peal every fairy would bound lightly 
into the air and the sable wings and the white wings would form in 
alternating lines and whirl around for a few moments in intricate, 
serpentine curves and circles ; then, falling gently to the ground, the 
glad dance would go on. 

All at once the music ceased, the dance stopped, and all stood 
silent and attentive. The old man had waved his golden wand. 

Again the wand moved, and the glittering orchestra floated 


CLVIII 


Old Man IVhitelocits 


swiftly down until it hung, suspended by its thousands of gorgeous 
wings, a little above and in front of Karl’s wondering eyes. 

“Fairies,” — it was the voice of Old Man Whitelocks that spoke — 
“this mortal has kindly suffered himself to be made like unto us in 
size, in order that our eyes might behold a mortal just as God made 
him, save only in bigness. For this favor, what guerdon shall be 
granted unto him?” 

Instantly thousands of voices shouted: “Let him choose what- 
soever he will, and let that be the gift of the fairies to the mortal. ” 

“So be it,” replied the old man, and turning to Karl he explained 
to him the nature of the gift. 

Karl had suffered for the want of many things, but most keenly of 
all had he felt the need of love, and straightway his desolate heart sent 
forth this wish : ‘ ‘ May the first human being I meet love me . ’ ’ 

“Thou hast uttered a wise wish. It is granted. ’ ’ As the old man 
spoke the last word, the glittering diamond of his golden wand again 
touched Karl’s forehead. 

Instantly the bright light went out into darkness, the beautiful 
scene vanished from before Karl’s eyes, and he stood once more under 
the oak tree, with the soft light of the moon shining down upon him. 

“Ah, I am indeed a fortunate boy!” he said as soon as he found 
himself underneath the tree again and of his natural size. “I can 


CLIX 


Old fllan W hitelocks 

now go back to the village, for I shall have some one to love me and 
to protect me from Big Herman.” 

Accordingly Karl at once set out on his return. On reaching 
the village he found it was yet too early for any one to be stirring, 
and so he determined to go and seat himself on the steps of the village 
church, and from that sacred place to await the coming of the one 
whom God should send. 

He had not long to wait ; forhardly had he reached the spot when 
from out the dark shadows of the church sprang a man, and before 
Karl had time to turn and run the strong hand of Big Herman had 
him by the collar. 

“Ha, you beggarly rascal! So you thought you’d run away from 
me, did you? I’ll teach you to play such tricks on me!” said the 
gruff voice, as the great fist was raised for the brutal blow. 

Karl shivered with fright and fixed his eyes in terror upon the 
uplifted arm. Suddenly he felt the hand which held him by the 
collar begin to tremble, and then he saw a great change sweep over 
the angry face above, while the upraised hand fell gently down- 
ward and rested caressingly on his shoulder. 

For a moment the man stood trembling like a frightened 
child, and then with the loving warmth of a father welcoming a 
long lost son, he threw his arms around Karl’s neck, drew him to his 
bosom, and kissed him. 


CLX 


Old fdan Whitelocks 

From that instant to the day of his death there came no more 
want nor hatred into Karl’s life and he was happy and prosperous. 
He loved Big Herman and Big Herman loved him; and, as he was 
wont to say when he became a man : “To love and to be beloved by 
the one you love is better than to have great riches; for it bringeth 
happiness. ” 
































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N the long ago a poor man and woman 
lived near a great wood. They had one 
child, a little girl by the name of Mary. 
Mary had no playmates and sometimes she 
looked longingly toward the forest, and 
wondered if she might not find some one with 
whom to play if she could only go within its 
shady depths. But her mother, who was 
wise and well knew the dangers lurking 
beneath the giant trees, forbade her going into 
the woods. 

Mary longed to go, but for a time she 
dared not. At last, however, she determined 
to run away and to find out for herself what 
was hidden within the dark shadows of the 
great forest. Her mother was bending hard 
at work over the washtub, and she thought 


CLXIII 


The Wonderful Doll 


she could go to the wood, and be back before she would be missed. 
So she took Sally — Sally was her doll, just a stick of wood dressed 
in rags with a rude face marked on the wooden head, but very dearly 
loved by her little mistress for all of that — and started. 

She was very happy watching the squirrels at play and listening 
to the birds sing. Indeed, so happy was she that she took no note 
of time nor how far she was getting from her home. 

Presently she saw a small stream of water, and ran merrily along 
its winding bank until she came to where it poured over a rock, 
making a beautiful cascade. In the mist arising from the falls she 
saw a rainbow, and exclaimed aloud: “Oh, this must be the most 
beautiful sight in all the world!” 

Immediately after she had said these words she was very much 
startled to hear a voice right behind her: “No, little girl, there are 
many more beautiful sights in the world than the rainbow, and if 
you will come with me, I will show you one which you will think far 
more lovely. ” 

Mary whirled around, and to her great surprise saw, standing be- 
hind her, a queer little old woman. The old lady was not much taller 
than was Mary herself, but she must have been very old, for her hair 
was as white as fallen snow, and so long that it touched the ground. 

She was wonderfully dressed in clothes made out of natural flow- 
ers and grasses, woven together in such a harmonious manner that 
Mary thought them the most beautiful garments she had ever seen. 


CLXIV 


The Wonderful Doll 


At first Mary was frightened, for she called to mind the many 
stories her mother had told her about the wicked old witches who 
lived in the woods. But this old woman did not look at all like any 
witch she had ever heard of, and was so kind and pleasant that 
Mary soon lost all fear of her, and wanted to know what she had 
which was “prettier than the rainbow in the falls. ” 

“A beautiful doll,” replied the old lady. “A doll with long 
golden hair, blue eyes, and cheeks like the mingled bloom of the 
rose and lily. A doll that can walk and talk and sing and dance 
and behave just like a really live person. Come, give me your hand, 
and I will take you to see this marvelous doll,” and the old woman 
smiled and nodded her head until the bluebells in her odd little cap 
jingled a merry tune. 

Now, Mary had never heard of such a doll before, much less had 
she seen one, and she was eager to go with the little old woman. 
Accordingly she gave her hand to the old lady, and was led to a 
quaint home in the hollow trunk of a great tree, where this queer 
being lived. 

The ceiling of the little room in which Mary found herself was 
covered with white lilies, and its sides were hung with roses; red, 
white, yellow, and purple, formed into many beautiful patterns. On 
the floor was a carpet woven out of the silken down of the thistle, 
and so soft that the foot sank nearly out of sight in its white depths. 


CLXV 


The Wonderful Doll 

For a minute Mary hardly dared to breathe, so awed was she by the 
beauties of the room. 

The little old lady bustled about very busily, but at last she 
seemed to have what she wished, for with a merry laugh like the 
tinkling of tiny bells, she approached Mary. In her right hand she 
held a long yellow straw, from the end of which sparkled a glitter- 
ing drop of liquid light. 

“Oh, ho!” she laughed, “and so you would like to see the wonder- 
ful doll! Well, you shall see her, but first you must hand me that 
horrid wooden thing which you hold in your arms,” and she pointed 
to Sally. 

Now Mary did not like to have her dear Sally spoken of in this 
way, and she answered angrily: “Sally isn’t horrid. She is as 
good as she can be, even if she is homely. I love Sally, and you 
shall not take her if you think she is horrid. ” 

The old woman smiled. “Why, bless me, my little girl, you are 
right,” she said. “Come to look closer at Sally she is not so very 
bad looking after all, and I am sure she must be very good. But 
just let me take her, and I will then show you the wonderful doll you 
came to see.” 

Mary handed the doll to the queer old woman, who held her in her 
arms for a moment, hugging her tight to her bosom, and then, 


CLXVI 


The Wonderful Doll 



lightly touching the doll on the forehead with the drop of liquid light 
at the end of the straw, she stood her on the floor. 

And behold! it was not Sally at all, but the most wonderful 
doll that the eyes of a girl ever looked on! 

Long waves of golden hair fell from her queenly head; merry 
eyes of blue, ruby lips, teeth of pearl, rosy cheeks, lily-white fore- 
head. Oh, just imagine the most beautiful doll you can think of, 
and then fancy one ten times more beautiful still, and, when you 
have done all this, you may have something of an idea of the beauties 
of the doll Mary saw standing before her. 

The doll walked right up to Mary, made her a pretty little 
courtesy, and said in a quaint, sweet voice : 

‘ ‘ How-do-you-do ? I-suppose-you-are-my-new-mamma. 

I-am-sure-I-am-very-glad-to-know-you. ’ ’ 

Mary was wild with delight. “Oh, you sweet little dear!” 
she exclaimed, catching the doll up in her arms. “I love you 
already ’most as much as I do my own mamma,” and she 
hugged and kissed the pretty 
thing, while the doll actually 
placed her arms around Mary’s 
neck and whispered : “I-love- 
you-too-mv-mamma. ” 



The Wonderful Doll 


The old woman nodded and smiled. “Little lassie,” she said, 
“you may keep this doll just as long as you keep your own life beauti- 
ful ; but a wrong deed or a cross word will bring back ragged wooden 
Sally. So beware, and mind your mother better in the future than 
you did to-day. She thought only of her little daughter’s good when 
she forbade your going into these woods. ” 

Mary hung her head. “I am sorry. I know it was naughty to 
run away, but I won’t never be naughty again, ’cause I’ve got this 
beautiful doll to make me good,” she answered. 

“Good-bye, little lassie,” she said, kissing the girl on the forehead. 
“May you never do anything to bring back wooden Sally,” and she 
was gone. 

Mary rubbed her eyes and stared all around. The birds were 
singing joyously and the squirrels were skurrying up and down the 
trees, but not a sign of the queer old woman could she see. She 
glanced quickly at the doll in her arms, fearful that she, too, might 
have vanished ; but no, there she lay, beautiful as ever. 

The doll smiled sweetly and said: “Kiss-me-my-mamma, ” at 
the same time gently stroking one of Mary’s cheeks with her soft 
white hand. 

Mary kissed her again and again, and then, hugging her close to 
her bosom, ran to the house. 

“Oh! mamma, mamma!” she cried, the moment she came to 
where her mother was still bending over the washtub, “just see what 


CLXVIII 


The Wonderful Doll 


a wonderful doll the queer little old woman of the wood gave me. 
Oh, mamma, she can talk and sing and walk and — ’ 

Her mother did not wait to hear more. She had been hard at 
work all that day and was cross. Her little girl had disobeyed her, 
and she must be punished. 

“Throw that doll down and come here,” she commanded. 

Mary’s face flushed. The ground was dirty, the doll so beautiful, 
and she loved her so. She did not throw the doll down, but stood 
still, while an angry light came into her eyes . 

‘ ‘ Mamma — ” she began. 

“Shut up,” and her mother started for her. 

This was more than Mary, who had never been taught to govern 
her temper, could stand, and, forgetting all about the words of the 
old woman, she hugged the doll tight to her bosom, and ran from 
her mother, exclaiming as she ran : “I shan’t do it! I shan’t do it! 
I shan’t throw the beautiful doll down in the dirt!” 

Mary stopped short right in her tracks. Oh, what would she 
have given to be able to recall those naughty words and acts! 
But it was too late. The beautiful doll was gone, and in her arms lay 
ragged wooden Sally. 

Dear children, be good, kind, and loving, and your lives will be as 
much more beautiful and wonderful than they are when you are 
ugly, cross, and disobedient, as was the little old woman’s doll more 
lovely and marvelous than wooden Sally. 


CLXIX 





eyor 
ohnny- 

town 



A STRANGE VISIT FROM A VERY 
STRANGE LITTLE MAN. 

B ID you ever hear of Johnny town? I am 
quite sure you never did, because I am 
a man grown, have studied geography, 
and have traveled the world over, and I never 
knew there was such a place until one night, not long ago, when I 
returned to my room in the great city and found a funny little old 
man, curled up like a kitten, sound asleep in my waste-basket. 

“Hello!” I cried roughly. “Who are you? Wake up!” and I 
gave the basket a kick. 

The little fellow jumped quickly to his feet, gave a hop, and landed 
on the floor in front of me. 


CLXXI 


The Mayor of Johnnytown 

“Well,” he said, coolly surveying me, “you are here at last. The 
Mayor of Johnnytown does not like to be kept waiting. ” 

I stared at the little old fellow. He stared back at me for a 
moment, then winked and laughed aloud. He had a round, merry 
face and must have been a very old man ; yet his laugh was as sweet 
and as musical as the tinkling of silver bells. 

“Ho, ho! He, ha!” he laughed. “Taken by surprise, were you? 
Well, well, let us get acquainted. I am Mayor Thinkumbub of 
Johnnytown, Moonland, at your service, sir,” and placing one hand 
lightly over the lace ruffles on his shirt bosom, he bowed in the most 
courteous manner imaginable. 

“Will Your Honor be seated?” I asked, hardly knowing what 
else to say. 

“Thanks,” and, with a hop, skip, and a jump, he bounded up into 
the air and landed right side up on one of the chairs. He was only 
about two feet tall, and my chairs are of the usual height. 

“Now, what can I do for you, my little man?” I inquired 
patronizingly. 

“Do for me! You conceited lubberly giant, who asked you to do 
anything for me ? Have I not already informed you that I am Mayor 
Thinkumbub of Johnnytown, sir?” 

He evidently intended this reply for a crusher, but he looked so 
amusingly funny in his attempt to be dignified, that I laughed. 


CLXXII 


The Mayor of Johnnytown 

“Sir!” and the little fellow leaped to his feet, his eyes blazing, 
and placed one hand threateningly on the jeweled hilt of the sword 
that hung by golden chains to his side. 

“Pardon! Pardon! A thousand pardons!” I exclaimed 
hastily. “I meant no offense. I — I never had the honor of enter- 
taining a Mayor of Johnnytown before. I really did not know there 
was such a place. Pardon my ignorance; but I meant Your Honor 
no discourtesy.” 

“Very well,” he said, taking his hand from the hilt, “I accept 
your apology, and I am here to enlighten your ignorance. Pray be 
seated. We will dispense with all formality.” 

I sat down. The cool effrontery of the little fellow in playing the 
host unbidden in my own room and to myself, stunned me. 

“Now,” he inquired, seating himself and cocking his head a little 
to one side, “do you know where Johnnytown is?” 

“Never heard of the place before, ” was my answer. 

“It is in the moon.” 

“Oh, that is all nonsense. Don’t we men of science know that 
the moon is uninhabited; that it has no atmosphere; that it is too 
cold to support life; that — ” 

“Sir,” interrupted Mayor Thinkumbub angrily, “you men of 
science are not so wise as you think you are. I tell you that Johnny- 
town is in the moon. I came from there not more than two hours 




CLXXIII 


The Mayor of Johrinytoton 


ago. Don’t you suppose I know where I live ? Or do you mean that 
I am prevaricating?” and bounding to his feet he again seized the 
hilt of his sword. 

I stared at the little fellow. He was very queer-looking, and he 
made very strange statements ; but he certainly ought to know where 
he came from. 

“Very well. I accept your apology a second time, ” said Mayor 
Thinkumbub, taking his hand off his sword, apparently forgetful of 
the fact that I had offered no apology as yet. ‘‘But beware of the 
third time! My sword is sharp,” and he again seated himself, 
cocked his head a little on one side, and continued his geography 
lesson. 

‘‘Johnnvtownisthe capital of the kingdom of Nodandblinken, in 
the Land of the Moon. All its inhabitants are children, except the 
Mayor, the City Council, and the City Police. In the beautiful 
gardens of the city grows everything a child could desire. There are 
doll-trees, hat-shrubs, candy-plants, clothes-bushes — in short, any- 
thing a child ever wished for can be found ripening in the delightful 
gardens of Johnny town. 

‘‘When a little girl in Johnnytown wants a new doll, she runs up to 
a policeman and says: ‘Please, Mr. Officer, take me to the doll- 
garden.’ The officer takes a golden key and opens a marble door; 
and the little girl finds herself in a most wonderful garden, all a-bloom 


CLXXIV 


The Mayor of JohnnytoWn 

with beautiful dolls. They hang from the stems of great trees and 
little bushes, dolls of every kind, little and big, white, black, and 
yellow, china, wax, bisque, and leather — in fact, every kind of doll 
that a little girl ever thought of or dreamed of is there, hanging like 
apples to the trees. 

“The little girl looks and looks, until she finds what to her eyes is 
‘just the loveliest doll of all.’ Then she says: ‘Please, Mr. Officer, 
I will take this one.’ The officer blows his gold whistle, and the doll 
falls softly down, right into the arms of the little girl. Then she goes 
to the doll-outfitter plants, where the most beautiful doll dresses, 
hats, and shoes grow on bushes, and picks out whatever suits her 
fancy. There are hundreds of little girls in this garden all the time, 
yet the dolls grow and ripen so fast that never has a girl been known 
to go away without at least two of them in her arms. ’’ 

“Nonsense, nonsense !’’ I cried, my impatience getting the better 
of me. 

“Shut up!” said the little old man sharply. “I know what I am 
talking about ; you don’t. Listen; for I go in two minutes. ” 

I sat still and stared at him. 

“Then there are the candy-gardens,” he continued, “where the 
most delicious bon-bons that ever melted in a child’s mouth grow on 
plants like strawberries, or hang from trees and bushes like plums 
and berries ; and they can all be had for the picking. But the most 


CLXXV 


The Mayor of JohnnytotOn 


wonderful place of all is the toy-garden, an immense inclosure with 
high marble walls and a beautiful gate of solid gold. On the gate 
is engraved this legend: ‘ONLY HAPPY CHILDREN ENTER 
HERE’; because, you see, only good children are happy. This 
garden we sometimes call THE CHILDREN’S PARADISE, because 
the little ones are so happy while there, running from bush to bush, 
from tree to tree, from flower to flower, plucking a toy here and a toy 
there, until their little arms and hands are so full that they can hardly 
waddle. Then there are the play-gardens. I — ” 

Suddenly a bright ray of moonlight darted through the window 
and fell at the old man’s feet. He jumped quickly up, waved me 
adieu, and vanished so swiftly through the open window that to this 
day I am not certain whether I saw him or not borne moonward, 
sitting in a misty sleigh, drawn by six misty gray horses with long 
white misty manes and tails. 






OCT 2 1903 











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